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Register a new userWind acceleration in AGB stars: Solid ground and loose ends
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Susanne Hofner
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The winds of cool luminous AGB stars are commonly assumed to be driven by radiative acceleration of dust grains which form in the extended atmospheres produced by pulsation-induced shock waves. The dust particles gain momentum by absorption or scattering of stellar photons, and they drag along the surrounding gas particles through collisions, triggering an outflow. This scenario, here referred to as Pulsation-Enhanced Dust-DRiven Outflow (PEDDRO), has passed a range of critical observational tests as models have developed from empirical and qualitative to increasingly self-consistent and quantitative. A reliable theory of mass loss is an essential piece in the bigger picture of stellar and galactic chemical evolution, and central for determining the contribution of AGB stars to the dust budget of galaxies. In this review, I discuss the current understanding of wind acceleration and indicate areas where further efforts by theorists and observers are needed.
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The classical problem of the brachistochrone asks for the curve down which a body sliding from rest and accelerated by gravity will slip (without friction) from one point to another in least time. In undergraduate courses on classical mechanics, the solution of this problem is the primary example of the power of the variational calculus. Here we address the generalized brachistochrone problem that asks for the fastest sliding curve between a point and a given curve or between two given curves. The generalized problem can be solved by considering variations with varying endpoints. We will contrast the formal solution with a much simpler solution based on symmetry and kinematic reasoning. Our exposition should encourage teachers to include variational problems with free boundary conditions in their courses and students to try simple, intuitive solutions first.
We develop a magnetohydrodynamical model of Alfven wave-driven wind in open magnetic flux tubes piercing the stellar surface of Red Giant Branch (RGB) and Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars, and investigate the physical properties of the winds. The model simulations are carried out along the evolutionary tracks of stars with initial mass in the range of 1.5 to 3.0 $M_{odot}$ and initial metallicity $Z_{rm ini}$=0.02. The surface magnetic field strength being set to be 1G, we find that the wind during the evolution of star can be classified into the following four types; the first is the wind with the velocity higher than 80 km s$^{-1}$ in the RGB and early AGB (E-AGB) phases; the second is the wind with outflow velocity less than 10 km s$^{-1}$ seen around the tip of RGB or in the E-AGB phase; the third is the unstable wind in the E-AGB and thermally pulsing AGB (TP-AGB) phases; the fourth is the stable massive and slow wind with the mass-loss rate higher than 10$^{-7} M_{odot}$ yr$^{-1}$ and the outflow velocity lower than 20 km s$^{-1}$ in the TP-AGB phase. The mass-loss rates in the first and second types of wind are two or three orders of magnitude lower than the values evaluated by an empirical formula. The presence of massive and slow wind of the fourth type suggests the possibility that the massive outflow observed in TP-AGB stars could be attributed to the Alfven wave-driven wind.
We review the observational evidence for dust formation in Wolf-Rayet binary systems and in Type II Supernova ejecta. Existing theoretical models describing the condensation of solids in carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet stars and in Supernovae close by and at high redshift are discussed. We describe new modeling of carbon- and oxygen-based grain nucleation using a chemical kinetic approach applied to the ejecta of massive pair-instability Supernovae in the early universe. Finally, dust formation processes in colliding wind regions of WC binary systems are discussed.
We investigate the star formation history and metallicity of the Local Group irregular dwarf galaxy WLM using wide-field JHK near-infrared imaging, spanning a region of approximately 1 sq. degree, obtained with WFCAM on UKIRT. JHK photometry clearly reveals the tip of the red giant branch, allowing a new estimate of the distance, and allows ready identification of C-type and M-type AGB stars. The C/M ratio was used to produce a surface map of the metallicity distribution which is compared to previous studies. Multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs) were constructed for some AGB stars.
There is ample evidence for strong magnetic fields in the envelopes of (Post-)Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars as well as supergiant stars. The origin and role of these fields are still unclear. This paper updates the current status of magnetic field observations around AGB, post-AGB stars and describes their possible role during these stages of evolution. The discovery of magnetically aligned dust around a supergiant star is also highlighted. In our search for the origin of the magnetic fields, recent observations show the signatures of possible magnetic activity and rotation, indicating that the magnetic fields might be intrinsic to the AGB stars.
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