Flavia Dell Agli
Instituto de AstrofÃsica de Canarias, Spain
Title: Asymptotic giant branch stars: Dust manufacturers of their host environments
Biography
Biography: Flavia Dell Agli
Abstract
During the evolution through the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase, low-intermediate mass stars (≤8 Msun) play a fundamental role in the enrichment process of the interstellar medium. The advanced nucleosynthesis active in their internal regions, together with episodes of deep convective mixing, are responsible for a significant variations of the surface chemistry. Furthermore, the low effective temperatures and the high rates of mass loss experienced during the AGB phase favour the formation of cold and dense winds, suitable for the condensation of gas molecules into dust. In this presentation, I will discuss the dust formation process coupled with the description of the AGB evolution and the impact of these stars as dust manufacturers for their host environment.