I discuss the relationship between mass loss and nucleosynthesis on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). Because of thermal pulses and possibly other mixing processes, products of nucleosynthesis can be brought to the surface of AGB stars, increasingly so as the star becomes more luminous, cooler, and unstable against pulsation of its tenuous mantle. As a result, mass loss is at its most extreme when dredge-up is too. As the high rate of mass loss truncates AGB evolution, it determines the enrichment of interstellar space with the AGB nucleosynthesis products. The changing composition of the stellar atmosphere also affects the mass-loss process, most obviously in the formation of dust grains - which play an important role in driving the wind of AGB stars.
We review the nucleosynthesis yields of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) for various stellar masses, explosion energies, and metallicities. Comparison with the abundance patterns of metal-poor stars provides excellent opportunities to test the explosion models and their nucleosynthesis. We show that the abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars, e.g., the excess of C, Co, Zn relative to Fe, are in better agreement with the yields of hyper-energetic explosions (Hypernovae, HNe) rather than normal supernovae. We note that the variation of the abundance patterns of EMP stars are relate…
We review some important observed properties of massive stars. Then we discuss how mass loss and rotation affect their evolution and help in giving better fits to observational constraints. Consequences for nucleosynthesis at different metallicities are discussed. Mass loss appear to be the key feature at high metallicity, while rotation is likely dominant at low and very low metallicities. We discuss various indications supporting the view that very metal poor stars had their evolution strongly affected by rotational mixing. Many features, like the origin of primary nitrogen at low metallicit…
We present a summary of the main sites for nucleosynthesis in intermediate mass Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars. We then discuss some detailed evolutionary models and how these have been used to create a synthetic evolution code which calculates the nucleosynthesis very rapidly, enabling us to investigate changes in some uncertain parameters in AGB evolution, such as mass-loss and dredge-up. We then present results for C, C/O, Mg and Al. We also discuss the changes due to the recent NACRE compilation of reaction rates.
During the first 20 seconds of its life, the enormous neutrino luminosity of a neutron star drives appreciable mass loss from its surface. Previous investigations have shown that this neutrino-driven wind could be the site where the r-process occurs. The nucleosynthesis is sensitive to four physical parameters characterizing the wind: its mass loss rate, the entropy per baryon, the electron fraction, and the dynamic time scale. Different authors, using numerical models for supernovae, have arrived at qualitatively different values for these key parameters. Here we derive their values analytica…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) must originate from low baryon load, ultrarelativistic outflows; however, slower, more baryon-rich outflows (BROs) should also arise in connection with GRBs as ``circum-jet winds'' and/or ``failed GRBs''. We study the possibility of nucleosynthesis within such BROs by conducting detailed reaction network calculations in the framework of the fireball model, showing that they can be interesting sites for synthesis of heavy neutron capture elements, as well as of light elements such as deuterium. These products may be observable in the companion stars of black hole binary …
In the course of a systematic exploration of the uncertainties associated to the input micro- and macro-physics in the modeling of the evolution of intermediate mass stars during their Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase, we focus on the role of the nuclear reactions rates and mass loss. We consider masses 3<M/Msun<6.5 for a metallicity typical for Globular Cluster, Z=0.001, and compare the results obtained by computing the full nucleosynthesis with hot bottom burning (HBB), for a network of 30 elements, using either the NACRE or the Cameron & Fowler (1988) cross-sections. The results differ i…
We discuss various neutrino-nucleus interactions in connection with the supernova r-process nucleosynthesis, which possibly occurs in the neutrino-driven wind of a young neutron star. These interactions include absorptions of electron neutrinos and antineutrinos on free nucleons, electron-neutrino captures on neutron-rich nuclei, and neutral-current interactions of heavy-flavor neutrinos with alpha particles and neutron-rich nuclei. We describe how these interactions can affect the r-process nucleosynthesis and discuss the implications of their effects for the physical conditions leading to a …
We have performed the first calculations to follow the evolution of all stable nuclei and their radioactive progenitors in a finely-zoned stellar model computed from the onset of central hydrogen burning through explosion as a Type II supernova. Calculations were done for 15, 20, and 25 solar masses Pop I stars using the most recently available set of experimental and theoretical nuclear data, revised opacity tables, and taking into account mass loss due to stellar winds. Here results are presented for one 15 solar masses model.
We have extended our published set of low mass AGB stellar models to lower metallicity. Different mass loss rates have been explored. Interpolation formulae for luminosity, effective temperature, core mass, mass of dredge up material and maximum temperature in the convective zone generated by thermal pulses are provided. Finally, we discuss the modifications of these quantities as obtained when an appropriate treatment of the inward propagation of the convective instability, caused by the steep rise of the radiative opacity occurring when the convective envelope penetrates the H-depleted regio…
We investigate the evolution, final fate, and nucleosynthetic yields of rotating and non-rotating very massive stars (VMS) of zero metallicity. First we address the issue of mass loss during hydrogen burning due to vibrational instabilities. We find that these objects are much more stable than what was found in previous studies of VMS of solar composition, and expect only negligible mass loss driven by the pulsations. As these stars thus reach the end of their evolution with massive helium cores, they encounter the pair-creation instability. We find that for helium core masses of ~64...133 sol…
Low-mass stars, ~1-2 solar masses, near the Main Sequence are efficient at producing He-3, which they mix into the convective envelope on the giant branch and should distribute into the Galaxy by way of envelope loss. This process is so efficient that it is difficult to reconcile the low observed cosmic abundance of He-3 with the predictions of both stellar and Big Bang nucleosynthesis. In this paper we find, by modeling a red giant with a fully three-dimensional hydrodynamic code and a full nucleosynthetic network, that mixing arises in the supposedly stable and radiative zone between the hyd…
Hans Bethe contributed in many ways to our understanding of the supernovae that happen in massive stars, but, to this day, a first principles model of how the explosion is energized is lacking. Nevertheless, a quantitative theory of nucleosynthesis is possible. We present a survey of the nucleosynthesis that occurs in 32 stars of solar metallicity in the mass range 12 to 120 solar masses. The most recent set of solar abundances, opacities, mass loss rates, and current estimates of nuclear reaction rates are employed. Restrictions on the mass cut and explosion energy of the supernovae based upo…
The observational and theoretical status of neutrino oscillations in connection with solar and atmospheric neutrino anomalies is presented in brief. The effect of neutrino oscillations on the early Universe evolution is discussed in detail. A short review is given of the standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the influence of resonant and nonresonant neutrino oscillations on active neutrinos and on primordial nucleosynthesis of He-4. BBN cosmological constraints on neutrino oscillation parameters are discussed.
We describe our first attempt at modelling nucleosynthesis in massive AGB stars which have undergone core carbon burning, the super-AGB stars. We fit a synthetic model to detailed stellar evolution models in the mass range 9<=M/Msun<=11.5 (Z=0.02), and extrapolate these fits to the end of the AGB. We determine the number of thermal pulses and AGB lifetime as a function of mass and mass-loss prescription. Our preliminary nucleosynthesis calculations show that, for a reasonable mass-loss rate, the effect of hot-bottom burning in super-AGB stars on the integrated yield of a stellar population is …
We calculate the spallative production of light elements associated with the explosion of an isolated supernova in the interstellar medium, using a time-dependent model taking into account the dilution of the ejected enriched material and the adiabatic energy losses. We first derive the injection function of energetic particles (EPs) accelerated at both the forward and the reverse shock, as a function of time. Then we calculate the Be yields obtained in both cases and compare them to the value implied by the observational data for metal-poor stars in the halo of our Galaxy, using both O and Fe…
We solve the general-relativistic steady-state eigenvalue problem of neutrino-driven protoneutron star winds, which immediately follow core-collapse supernova explosions. We provide velocity, density, temperature, and composition profiles and explore the systematics and structures generic to such a wind for a variety of protoneutron star characteristics. Furthermore, we derive the entropy, dynamical timescale, and neutron-to-seed ratio in the general relativistic framework essential in assessing this site as a candidate for $r$-process nucleosynthesis. Generally, we find that for a given mass …
We present the first calculations to follow the evolution of all stable nuclei and their radioactive progenitors in stellar models computed from the onset of central hydrogen burning through explosion as Type II supernovae. Calculations are performed for Pop I stars of 15, 19, 20, 21, and 25 M_sun using the most recently available experimental and theoretical nuclear data, revised opacity tables, neutrino losses, and weak interaction rates, and taking into account mass loss due to stellar winds. A novel ``adaptive'' reaction network is employed with a variable number of nuclei (adjusted each t…
We perform hydrodynamical and nucleosynthesis calculations of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) and hypernovae (HNe) of Population (Pop) III stars. We provide new yields for the main-sequence mass of $M_{\rm MS}=13-50$ $M_{\odot}$ and the explosion energy of $E=1-40\times10^{51}$ ergs to apply for chemical evolution studies. Our HN yields based on the mixing-fallback model of explosions reproduce the observed abundance patterns of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars ($-4< {\rm [Fe/H]}< -3$), while those of very metal-poor (VMP) stars ($-3<{\rm [Fe/H]} < -2$) are reproduced by the normal SN yields in…
The behavior of fluorine with metallicity has not yet been probed in any stellar population. In this work, we present the first fluorine abundances measured outside of the Milky Way from a sample of red giants in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), as well the Galactic globular cluster Omega Centauri. The fluorine abundances are derived from vibration-rotation transitions of HF using infrared spectra obtained with the Phoenix spectrograph on the Gemini South 8.1m telescope. It is found that the abundance ratio of F/O declines as the oxygen abundance decreases. The values of F/O are especially lo…
This review concentrates on nucleosynthesis processes in general and their applications to massive stars and supernovae. A brief initial introduction is given to the physics in astrophysical plasmas which governs composition changes. We present the basic equations for thermonuclear reaction rates and nuclear reaction networks. The required nuclear physics input for reaction rates is discussed, i.e. cross sections for nuclear reactions, photodisintegrations, electron and positron captures, neutrino captures, inelastic neutrino scattering, and beta-decay half-lives. We examine especially the pre…
We outline the results of a study of the chemical composition of 14 stars in the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph). For the Sgr dSph stars with [Fe/H]>-1 the abundances are highly unusual, showing a striking enhancement in heavy s-process elements, increasing with [Fe/H], deficiencies of the alpha- elements (O, Si, Ca, and Ti), deficiencies of Al and Na, and deficiencies of the iron-peak elements Mn and Cu. Our abundances suggest that the composition of the metal-rich Sgr dSph stars is dominated by the ejecta of an old, metal-poor population, including products of AGB stars and ty…
Recent work has proposed that a merger event between a red-giant and a He white dwarf may be responsible for the production of R-stars (Izzard et al, 2007). We investigate the proposed evolution and nucleosynthesis of such a model. We simulate the hypothesized late ignition of the core flash by increasing the neutrino losses until the ignition occurs sufficiently far from the centre that the subsequent evolution produces dredge-up of carbon to the extent that the post-flash object is a carbon star. Detailed nucleosynthesis is performed within this approximation, and we show that the overall pr…
Since the pioneering observations of Spite & Spite in 1982, the constant lithium abundance of metal-poor ([Fe/H]<-1.3) halo stars near the turnoff has been attributed a cosmological origin. Closer analysis revealed that the observed abundance lies at $Δ$ Li~0.4 dex below the predictions of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. The measurements of deuterium abundances on the lines of sight toward quasars and the recent data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe independently confirmed this gap. We suggest here that part of the discrepancy is explained by the first generation of stars that efficient…
We present the first calculations to follow the evolution of all stable isotopes (and their abundant radioactive progenitors) in a finely zoned stellar model computed from the onset of central hydrogen burning through explosion as a Type II supernova. The calculations were performed for a 15 solar mass Pop I star using the most recently available set of experimental and theoretical nuclear data, revised opacity tables, and taking into account mass loss due to stellar winds. We find the approximately solar production of proton-rich isotopes above a mass number of A=120 due to the gamma-process.…
Recently, measurements of abundances in extremely metal poor (EMP) stars have brought new constraints on stellar evolution models. In an attempt to explain the origin of the abundances observed, we computed pre--supernova evolution models, explosion models and the related nucleosynthesis. In this paper, we start by presenting the pre-SN models of rotating single stars with metallicities ranging from solar metallicity down to almost metal free. We then review key processes in core-collapse and bounce, before we integrate them in a simplistic parameterization for 3D MHD models, which are well un…
The connection between the long GRBs and Type Ic Supernovae (SNe) has revealed the interesting diversity: (i) GRB-SNe, (ii) Non-GRB Hypernovae (HNe), (iii) X-Ray Flash (XRF)-SNe, and (iv) Non-SN GRBs (or dark HNe). We show that nucleosynthetic properties found in the above diversity are connected to the variation of the abundance patterns of extremely-metal-poor (EMP) stars, such as the excess of C, Co, Zn relative to Fe. We explain such a connection in a unified manner as nucleosynthesis of hyper-aspherical (jet-induced) explosions Pop III core-collapse SNe. We show that (1) the explosions wi…
The connection between long Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) and Supernovae (SNe), have been established through the well observed cases of GRB980425/SN 1998bw, GRB030329/SN 2003dh and GRB031203/SN 2003lw. These events can be explained as the prompt collapse to a black hole (BH) of the core of a massive star (M ~ 40 Msun) that had lost its outer hydrogen and helium envelopes. All these SNe exhibited strong oxygen lines, and their energies were much larger than those of typical SNe, thus these SNe are called Hypernovae (HNe). The case of SN 2006aj/GRB060218 appears different: the GRB was weak and soft (…
Mass loss plays a dominant role in the evolution of massive stars at solar metallicity. After discussing different mass loss mechanisms and their metallicity dependence, we present the possibility of strong mass loss at very low metallicity. Our models at Z=1e-8 show that stars more massive than about 60 solar masses may lose a significant fraction of their initial mass in the red supergiant phase. This mass loss is due to the surface enrichment in CNO elements via rotational and convective mixing. Our 85 solar mass model ends its life as a fast rotating WO type Wolf-Rayet star. Therefore the …
The mass loss properties of carbon AGB stars are not very well constrained at present. A variety of empirical or theoretical formulae with different parameterisations are available in the literature and the agreement between them is anything but good. These simple mass loss prescriptions are nontheless used in many models of stellar evolution without much consideration of their applicability in various cases. We present here an on-going project aiming at a better description of the mass loss, that could be used to improve stellar evolution models -- especially the evolution during the TP-AGB p…
Intermediate mass stellar evolution tracks from the main sequence to the tip of the AGB for five initial masses (2 to 6Msun) and metallicity Z=0.0001 have been computed. The detailed 1D structure and evolution models include exponential overshooting, mass loss and a detailed nucleosynthesis network with updated nuclear reaction rates. The network includes a two-particle heavy neutron sink for approximating neutron density in the He-shell flash. It is shown how the neutron-capture nucleosynthesis is important in models of very low metallicity for the formation of light neutron-heavy species, li…
Context: Mass loss from red giants in old globular clusters affects the horizontal branch (HB) morphology and post-HB stellar evolution including the production of ultraviolet-bright stars, dredge up of nucleosynthesis products and replenishment of the intra-cluster medium. Studies of mass loss in globular clusters also allows one to investigate the metallicity dependence of the mass loss from cool, low-mass stars down to very low metallicities. Aims: We present an analysis of new VLT/UVES spectra of 47 red giants in the Galactic globular clusters 47 Tuc (NGC 104), NGC 362, omega Cen (NGC 5139…
High-resolution Halpha monitoring of Cyg X-1, HD226868 was carried out during 1996-2002 and the resultant spectra analysed in conjunction with 1.5-12 keV X-ray monitoring. We demonstrate that the Halpha line-profiles have complex variability on different timescales, controlled in particular by the orbital period and the focused wind model of mass loss. We find that long-term variability of the mass loss by the supergiant and short-term variability due to clumpy structure of the stellar wind dominate during the low/hard X-ray state and that X-ray photoionization has a relatively small influence…
The jet axes and the orbital planes of microquasar systems are usually assumed to be approximately perpendicular, eventhough this is not currently an observational requirement. On the contrary, in one of the few systems where the relative orientations are well-constrained, V4641Sgr, the jet axis is known to lie not more than ~36 degrees from the binary plane. Such a jet, lying close to the binary plane, and traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light may periodically impact the secondary star initiating nuclear reactions on its surface. The integrated yield of such nuclear reacti…
