The envelope of thermally pulsing AGB stars undergoing periodic third dredge-up episodes is enriched in both light and heavy elements, the ashes of a complex internal nucleosynthesis involving p, alpha and n captures over hundreds of stable and unstable isotopes. In this paper, new models of low-mass AGB stars (2 Msun), with metallicity ranging between Z=0.0138 (the solar one) and Z=0.0001, are presented. Main features are: i) a full nuclear network (from H to Bi) coupled to the stellar evolution code, ii) a mass loss-period-luminosity relation, based on available data for long period variables, and ii) molecular and atomic opacities for C- and/or N-enhanced mixtures, appropriate for the chemical modifications of the envelope caused by the third dredge up. For each model a detailed description of the physical and chemical evolution is presented; moreover, we present a uniform set of yields, comprehensive of all chemical species (from hydrogen to bismuth). The main nucleosynthesis site is the thin 13C pocket, which forms in the core-envelope transition region after each third dredge up episode. The formation of this 13C pockets is the principal by-product of the introduction of a new algorithm, which shapes the velocity profile of convective elements at the inner border of the convective envelope: both the physical grounds and the calibration of the algorithm are discussed in detail. The final surface compositions of the various models reflect the differences in the initial iron-seed content and in the physical structure of AGB stars belonging to different stellar populations. The agreement with the observed [hs/ls] index observed in intrinsic C stars at different [Fe/H] is generally good.
We report the first spectroscopic identification of massive Galactic asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars at the beginning of the thermal pulse (TP) phase. These stars are the most Li-rich massive AGBs found to date, super Li-rich AGBs with logE(Li)~3-4. The high Li overabundances are accompanied by weak or no s-process element (i.e. Rb and Zr) enhancements. A comparison of our observations with the most recent hot bottom burning (HBB) and s-process nucleosynthesis models confirms that HBB is strongly activated during the first TPs but the 22Ne neutron source needs many more TP and third dredge…
AGB stars are responsible for producing a variety of elements, including carbon, nitrogen, and the heavy elements produced in the slow neutron-capture process ($s$-elements). There are many uncertainties involved in modelling the evolution and nucleosynthesis of AGB stars, and this is especially the case at low metallicity, where most of the stars with high enough masses to enter the AGB have evolved to become white dwarfs and can no longer be observed. The stellar population in the Galactic halo is of low mass ($\lesssim 0.85M_{\odot}$) and only a few observed stars have evolved beyond the fi…
During the evolution on the AGB, S-type stars are the first objects to experience s-process nucleosynthesis and third dredge-ups, and therefore to exhibit sprocess signatures in their atmospheres. Their significant mass loss rates (10^-7 to 10^-6 M*/year) make them major contributors to the AGB nucleosynthesis yields at solar metallicity. Precise abundance determinations in S stars are of the utmost importance for constraining e.g. the third dredge-up luminosity and efficiency (which has been only crudely parameterized in all current nucleosynthetic models so far). Here, dedicated S-star model…
In this paper we present a large-scale sensitivity study of reaction rates in the main component of the $s$ process. The aim of this study is to identify all rates, which have a global effect on the $s$ process abundance distribution and the three most important rates for the production of each isotope. We have performed a sensitivity study on the radiative $^{13}$C-pocket and on the convective thermal pulse, sites of the $s$ process in AGB stars. We identified 22 rates, which have the highest impact on the $s$-process abundances in AGB stars.
We present MONTAGE, a post-processing nucleosynthesis code that combines a traditional network for isotopes lighter than calcium with a rapid algorithm for calculating the s-process nucleosynthesis of the heavier isotopes. The separation of those parts of the network where only neutron-capture and beta-decay reactions are significant provides a substantial advantage in computational efficiency. We present the yields for a complete set of s-process isotopes for a 3 Mo, Z = 0.02 stellar model, as a demonstration of the utility of the approach. Future work will include a large grid of models suit…
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are considered to be among the most significant contributors to the fluorine budget in our Galaxy. While at close-to-solar metallicity observations and theory agree, at lower metallicities stellar models overestimate the fluorine production with respect to heavy elements. We present ${}^{19}$F nucleosynthesis results for a set of AGB models with different masses and metallicities in which magnetic buoyancy acts as the driving process for the formation of the ${}^{13}$C neutron source (the so-called ${}^{13}$C pocket). We find that ${}^{19}$F is mainly produc…
We present nucleosynthesis predictions for massive (5-7 solar masses) asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars of solar metallicity where we delay the onset of the superwind to pulsation periods of P =700-800 days. We found that delaying the superwind in solar metallicity massive AGB stars results in a larger production of s-process elements, something that would be also expected at lower metallicities. These new models and the available observations show that massive C-O core AGB stars in our Galaxy and in the Magellanic Clouds experience considerable third dredge-up (TDU). Thus, if massive AGB st…
CEMP-s stars are very metal-poor stars with enhanced abundances of carbon and s-process elements. They form a significant proportion of the very metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo and are mostly observed in binary systems. This suggests that the observed chemical anomalies are due to mass accretion in the past from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. Because CEMP-s stars have hardly evolved since their formation, the study of their observed abundances provides a way to probe our models of AGB nucleosynthesis at low metallicity. To this end we included in our binary evolution model the re…
Barium (Ba) stars are polluted by material enriched in the slow neutron capture (s-process) elements synthesised in the interior of their former asymptotic giant branch (AGB) companion star, which is now a white dwarf. We compare individual Ba star abundance patterns to AGB nucleosynthesis models to verify if the AGB model mass is compatible with independently derived AGB mass. We selected a sample of 28 Ba stars for which both self-consistent spectroscopic observation and analysis are available and stellar mass determinations, via positioning the star on the HR diagram and comparing with evol…
The production of the neutron-capture isotopes beyond iron that we observe today in the solar system is the result of the combined contribution of the r-process, the s- process and possibly the i-process. Low-mass AGB (2 < M/Msun < 3) and massive (M >10 Msun ) stars have been identified as the sites of the s-process. In this work we consider the evolution and nucleosynthesis of low-mass AGB stars. We provide an update of the NuGrid Set models, adopting the same general physics assumptions but using an updated convective-boundary mixing model accounting for the contribution from internal gravit…
By using updated stellar low mass stars models, we can systematically investigate the nucleosynthesis processes occurring in AGB stars, when these objects experience recurrent thermal pulses and third dredge-up episodes. In this paper we present the database dedicated to the nucleosynthesis of AGB stars: the FRUITY (FRANEC Repository of Updated Isotopic Tables & Yields) database. An interactive web-based interface allows users to freely download the full (from H to Bi) isotopic composition, as it changes after each third dredge-up episode and the stellar yields the models produce. A first set …
We present stellar evolutionary sequences for asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the Magellanic Cloud clusters NGC 1978, NGC 1846 and NGC 419. The new stellar models for the three clusters match the observed effective temperatures on the giant branches, the oxygen-rich to carbon-rich transition luminosities, and the AGB-tip luminosities. A major finding is that a large amount of convective overshoot (up to 3 pressure scale heights) is required at the base of the convective envelope during third dredge-up in order to get the correct oxygen-rich to carbon-rich transition luminosity. The stel…
We present a new set of models for intermediate mass AGB stars (4.0, 5.0 and, 6.0 Msun) at different metallicities (-2.15<=Fe/H]<=+0.15). This integrates the existing set of models for low mass AGB stars (1.3<=M/M<=3.0) already included in the FRUITY database. We describe the physical and chemical evolution of the computed models from the Main Sequence up to the end of the AGB phase. Due to less efficient third dredge up episodes, models with large core masses show modest surface enhancements. The latter is due to the fact that the interpulse phases are short and, then, Thermal Pulses are weak…
Half or more of stars more massive than our Sun are orbited by a companion star in a binary system. Many binaries have short enough orbits that the evolution of both stars is greatly altered by an exchange of mass and angular momentum between the stars. Such mass transfer is highly likely on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) because this is when a star is both very large and has strong wind mass loss. Direct mass transfer truncates the AGB, and its associated nucleosynthesis, prematurely compared to in a single star. In wide binaries we can probe nucleosynthesis in the long-dead AGB primary st…
Understanding the nucleosynthesis and evolution of Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars is of primary importance as they are the main producers of some of the key elements in the Universe. They are the predominant sites for the slow neutron-capture nucleosynthesis. The exact physical conditions and nucleosynthetic processes occuring at the interior of AGB stars are not clearly understood, that hinders a better understanding of the contribution of these stars to the Galactic chemical enrichment. The extrinsic stars, which are known to have received products of AGB phase of evolution via binary m…
The stars in globular clusters are known to differ in their surface chemistry: the spectroscopic investigations in the last decades outlined the presence of star-to-star differences in the abundances of the light elements, up to aluminium (and possibly silicon), suggesting that some stars were contaminated by an advanced proton-capture nucleosynthesis. The AGB stars are one of the most promising candidates in producing the pollution of the intra-cluster medium, via the ejection of gas processed by Hot Bottom Burning, from which new stellar generations are formed. This work is focused on the de…
Isotopic ratios of C, N, Si, and trace heavy elements in presolar SiC grains from meteorites provide crucial constraints to nucleosynthesis. A long-debated issue is the origin of the so-called A+B grains, as for them no stellar progenitor has so far been clearly identified on observational grounds. We report the first spectroscopic measurements of 14N/15N ratios in Galactic carbon stars of different spectral types and show that J- and some SC-type stars might produce A+B grains, even for 15N enrichments previously attributed to novae. We also show that most mainstream (MS) grains are compatibl…
We have computed detailed evolution and nucleosynthesis models for super and massive AGB stars over the mass range 6.5-9.0 Msun in divisions of 0.5 Msun with metallicities Z=0.02, 0.008 and 0.004. These calculations, in which we find third dredge-up and hot bottom burning, fill the gap between existing low and intermediate-mass AGB star models and high mass star models that become supernovae. For the considered metallicities, the composition of the yields is largely dominated by the thermodynamic conditions at the base of the convective envelope rather than by the pollution arising from third …
We study the effects of neutron captures in AGB stars on \oq Fe-group\cqb elements, with an emphasis on Cr, Fe, and Ni. These elements show anomalies in $^{54}$Cr, $^{58}$Fe, and $^{64}$Ni in solar-system materials, which are commonly attributed to SNe. However, as large fractions of the interstellar medium (ISM) were reprocessed in AGB stars, these elements were reprocessed, too. We calculate the effects of such reprocessing on Cr, Fe, and Ni through 1.5\msb and 3\msb AGB models, adopting solar and 1/3 solar metallicities. All cases produce excesses of $^{54}$Cr, $^{58}$Fe, and $^{64}$Ni, whi…
Many observed CEMP stars are found in binary systems and show enhanced abundances of $s$-elements. The origin of the chemical abundances of these CEMP-$s$ stars is believed to be accretion in the past of enriched material from a primary star in the AGB phase. We investigate the mechanism of mass transfer and the process of nucleosynthesis in low-metallicity AGB stars by modelling the binary systems in which the observed CEMP-$s$ stars were formed. For this purpose we compare a sample of $67$ CEMP-$s$ stars with a grid of binary stars generated by our binary evolution and nucleosynthesis model.…
We present a new grid of stellar models and nucleosynthetic yields for super-AGB stars with metallicities Z=0.001 and 0.0001, applicable for use within galactic chemical evolution models. Contrary to more metal rich stars where hot bottom burning is the main driver of the surface composition, in these lower metallicity models the effect of third dredge-up and corrosive second dredge-up also have a strong impact on the yields. These metal-poor and very metal-poor super-AGB stars create large amounts of He4, C13 and N14, as well as the heavy magnesium isotopes Mg25 and Mg26. There is a transitio…
We present stellar evolutionary tracks and nucleosynthetic predictions for a grid of stellar models of low- and intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars at $Z=0.001$ ([Fe/H]$=-1.2$). The models cover an initial mass range from 1 M$_{\odot}$ to 7 M$_{\odot}$. Final surface abundances and stellar yields are calculated for all elements from hydrogen to bismuth as well as isotopes up to the iron group. We present the first study of neutron-capture nucleosynthesis in intermediate-mass AGB models, including a super-AGB model, of [Fe/H] = $-1.2$. We examine in detail a low-mass AGB model…
It is well known that thermally pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch stars with low mass play a relevant role in the chemical evolution. They have synthesized about 30% of the galactic carbon and provide an important contribution to the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements (A>80). The relevant nucleosynthesis site is the He-rich intermediate zone (less than 10^{-2} Msun), where alpha(2alpha,gamma)12C reactions and slow neutron captures on seed nuclei essentially iron) take place. A key ingredient is the interplay between nuclear processes and convective mixing. It is the partial overlap of internal an…
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with low initial mass (1 - 3 Msun) are responsible for the production of neutron-capture elements through the main s-process (main slow neutron capture process). The major neutron source is 13C(alpha, n)16O, which burns radiatively during the interpulse periods at about 8 keV and produces a rather low neutron density (10^7 n/cm^3). The second neutron source 22Ne(alpha, n)25Mg, partially activated during the convective thermal pulses when the energy reaches about 23 keV, gives rise to a small neutron exposure but a peaked neutron density (Nn(peak) > 10^11 n/c…
We study a sample of post-AGB stars in the Galaxy, with known surface chemical composition and s-process enrichment. The recent determination of the luminosities of these sources, based on Gaia parallaxes, allows for the fist time a deep investigation of Galactic post-AGB stars, with the possibility of characterising the individual objects in terms of mass, chemical composition and age of the progenitors. To this aim we used available evolutionary sequences of AGB stars, extended to the post-AGB phase, complemented by new models, specifically calculated for the present study. The combined know…
Aims. We investigate the s-process during the AGB phase of stellar models whose cores are enforced to rotate at rates consistent with asteroseismology observations of their progenitors and successors. Methods. We calculated new 2M$_{\odot}$, Z=0.01 models, rotating at 0, 125, and 250 km/s at the start of main sequence. An artificial, additional viscosity was added to enhance the transport of angular momentum in order to reduce the core rotation rates to be in agreement with asteroseismology observations. We compared rotation rates of our models with observed rotation rates during the MS up to …
We present barium, carbon, and silicon isotopic compositions of 38 acid-cleaned presolar SiC grains from Murchison. Comparison with previous data shows that acid washing is highly effective in removing barium contamination. Strong depletions in $δ$($^{138}$Ba/$^{136}$Ba) values are found, down to $-$400 permil, which can only be modeled with a flatter $^{13}$C profile within the $^{13}$C pocket than is normally used. The dependence of $δ$($^{138}$Ba/$^{136}$Ba) predictions on the distribution of $^{13}$C within the pocket in AGB models allows us to probe the $^{13}$C profile within the $^{13}$…
Luminous Galactic OH/IR stars have been identified as massive (>4-5 M_s) AGB stars experiencing HBB and Li production. Their Rb abundances and [Rb/Zr] ratios derived from hydrostatic model atmospheres, are significantly higher than predictions from AGB nucleosynthesis models, posing a problem to our understanding of AGB evolution and nucleosynthesis. We report new Rb and Zr abundances in the full sample of massive Galactic AGB stars, previously studied with hydrostatic models, by using more realistic extended model atmospheres. We use a modified version of the spectral synthesis code Turbospec…
We investigate the evolution of super-AGB thermal pulse (TP) stars for a range of metallicities (Z) and explore the effect of convective boundary mixing (CBM). With decreasing metallicity and evolution along the TP phase, the He-shell flash and the third dredge-up (TDU) occur closer together in time. After some time (depending upon the CBM parameterisation), efficient TDU begins while the pulse-driven convection zone (PDCZ) is still present, causing a convective exchange of material between the PDCZ and the convective envelope. This results in the ingestion of protons into the convective He-bu…
The aim of this paper is to investigate the $^{17}$O/$^{18}$O ratio for a sample of AGB stars, containing M-, S- and C-type stars. These ratios are evaluated in relation to fundamental stellar evolution parameters: the stellar initial mass and pulsation period. Circumstellar $^{13}$C$^{16}$O, $^{12}$C$^{17}$O and $^{12}$C$^{18}$O line observations were obtained for a sample of nine stars with various single-dish long-wavelength facilities. Line intensity ratios are shown to relate directly to the surface $^{17}$O/$^{18}$O abundance ratio. Stellar evolution models predict the $^{17}$O/$^{18}$O …
We present the abundance analyses of 7 Carbon enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars to understand the origin of carbon in them. We used high-resolution optical spectra to derive abundances of various elements. We also used low-resolution Near-Infrared (NIR) spectra to derive the abundance of O and 12C/13C from the CO molecular band and compared their values with those derived from high-resolution optical spectra. We identified a good agreement between the values. Thus, in cool CEMP stars, the NIR observations complement the high-resolution optical observations to derive the oxygen abundance and the…
The $s$-process nucleosynthesis in Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars depends on the modeling of convective boundaries. We present models and s-process simulations that adopt a treatment of convective boundaries based on the results of hydrodynamic simulations and on the theory of mixing due to gravity waves in the vicinity of convective boundaries. Hydrodynamics simulations suggest the presence of convective boundary mixing (CBM) at the bottom of the thermal pulse-driven convective zone. Similarly, convection-induced mixing processes are proposed for the mixing below the convective envelope …
The metal-free (Pop. III) and extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars of low- and intermediate-masses experience mixing of hydrogen into the helium convection during the early TP-AGB phase, differently from the meal-rich stars. We study the nucleosynthesis in the helium convective zone with 13C formed from mixed protons as neutron source by using a nuclear network from H through S. In the absence or scarcity of the pristine metals, the neutron-recycling reactions, 12C(n,g)13C(a,n)16O and also 16O(n,g)17O(a,n)20Ne promote the synthesis of O and light elements, including their neutron-rich isotopes and…
The determination of heavy element abundances from planetary nebula (PN) spectra provides an exciting opportunity to study the nucleosynthesis occurring in the progenitor asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. We perform post-processing calculations on AGB models of a large range of mass and metallicity to obtain predictions for the production of neutron-capture elements up to the first s-process peak at strontium. We find that solar metallicity intermediate-mass AGB models provide a reasonable match to the heavy element composition of Type I PNe. Likewise, many of the Se and Kr enriched PNe are …
Aims. We describe the first s-process post-processing models for asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars of masses 3, 4 and 5 M at solar metallicity (Z=0.018) computed using the input from the stellar evolutionary code aton. Methods. The models are computed with the new code snuppat(S-process NUcleosynthesis Post-Processing code for aton), including an advective scheme for the convective overshoot that leads to the formation of the main neutron source, 13C. Each model is post-processed with 3 different values of the free overshoot parameter. Included in the code snuppat is the novel Patankar-Euler…
This review presents the latest advances in the nebular studies of post-AGB objects. Post-AGB stars are great tools to test nucleosynthesis and evolution models for stars of low and intermediate masses, and the evolution of dust in harsh environment. I will present the newly discovered class of post-RGB stars, formed via binary interaction on the RGB. Binary systems can also lead to the formation of two class of aspherical post-AGB, the Proto-Planetary Nebulae and the naked post-AGBs (dusty RV Taus , a.k.a. Van Winckel's stars).
Among presolar materials recovered in meteorites, abundant SiC and Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ grains of AGB origins were found. They showed records of C, N, O, $^{26}$Al and s-element isotopic ratios that proved invaluable in constraining the nucleosynthesis models for AGB stars \cite{zin,gal}. In particular, when these ratios are measured in SiC grains, they clearly reveal their prevalent origin in cool AGB circumstellar envelopes and provide information on both the local physics and the conditions at the nucleosynthesis site (the H- and He-burning layers deep inside the structure). Among the properties…
Super-AGB stars can conclude their evolution either as neon-oxygen white dwarfs or as electron-capture supernovae. We discuss the possible consequences of the existence of this "double final fate" in the self-enrichment of globular clusters and in the nucleosynthesis process of s-nuclei.
Barium stars are one of the important probes to understand the origin and evolution of slow neutron-capture process elements in the Galaxy. These are extrinsic stars, where the observed s-process element abundances are believed to have an origin in the now invisible companions that produced these elements at their Asymptotic Giant Branch phase of evolution. We have attempted to understand the s-process nucleosynthesis, as well as the physical properties of the companion stars through a detailed comparison of observed elemental abundances of 10 barium stars with the predictions from AGB nucleos…
The origin of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars plays a key role in characterising the formation and evolution of the first stars and the Galaxy since the extremely-poor (EMP) stars with [Fe/H] \leq -2.5 share the common features of carbon enhancement in their surface chemical compositions. The origin of these stars is not yet established due to the controversy of the origin of CEMP stars without the enhancement of s-process element abundances, i.e., so called CEMP-no stars. In this paper, we elaborate the s-process nucleosynthesis in the EMP AGB stars and explore the origin of CEMP star…
We present a comprehensive abundance analysis of two newly-discovered carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. HE2138-3336 is a s-process-rich star with [Fe/H] = -2.79, and has the highest [Pb/Fe] abundance ratio measured thus far, if NLTE corrections are included ([Pb/Fe] = +3.84). HE2258-6358, with [Fe/H] = -2.67, exhibits enrichments in both s- and r-process elements. These stars were selected from a sample of candidate metal-poor stars from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism survey, and followed up with medium-resolution (R ~ 2,000) spectroscopy with GEMINI/GMOS. We report here on derived abu…
Context: Our understanding of the s-process nucleosynthesis in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is incomplete. AGB models predict, for example, large overabundances of lead (Pb) compared to other s-process elements in metal-poor low-mass AGB stars. This is indeed observed in some extrinsically enhanced metal-poor stars, but not in all. An extensive study of intrinsically s-process enriched objects is essential for improving our knowledge of the AGB third dredge-up and associated s-process nucleosynthesis. Aims: We compare the spectral abundance analysis of the SMC post-AGB star J004441.04-7…
We present and show the features of the FRUITY database, an interactive web-based interface devoted to the nucleosynthesis in AGB stars. We describe the current available set of AGB models (largely expanded with respect to the original one) with masses in the range 1.3<=M/M_SUN<=3.0 and metallicities -2.15<=[Fe/H]<=+0.15. We illustrate the details of our s-process surface distributions and we compare our results to observations. Moreover, we introduce a new set of models where the effects of rotation are taken into account. Finally, we shortly describe next planned upgrades.
The origin of fluorine is a longstanding problem in nuclear astrophysics. It is widely recognized that Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are among the most important contributors to the Galactic fluorine production. In general, extant nucleosynthesis models overestimate the fluorine production by AGB stars with respect to observations. In this paper we review the relevant nuclear reaction rates involved in the fluorine production/destruction. We perform this analysis on a model with initial mass M=2 M$_\odot$ and Z=0.001. We found that the major uncertainties are due to the $^{13}$C($α$,n)$^…
A systematic investigation on the third dredge up in a 3M$_{\odot}$, solar metallicity AGB star will be presented. The model evolves from the main sequence up to the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB). Intermediate mass stars are important because they contribute significantly via the slow neutron capture nucleosynthesis. The aim of this work is to gain insight on the behaviour of the AGB star during thermal pulsation. This investigation is based on an extended numerical simulation of the evolutionary phases and full, consistent AGB model calculations. In particular, the convective structure during…
Based on stellar evolution simulations, we demonstrate that rapidly accreting white dwarfs in close binary systems are an astrophysical site for the intermediate neutron-capture process. During recurrent and very strong He-shell flashes in the stable H-burning accretion regime H-rich material enters the He-shell flash convection zone. $^{12}$C(p,$γ)^{13}$N reactions release enough energy to potentially impact convection, and i process is activated through the $^{13}$C($α$,n)$^{16}$O reaction. The H-ingestion flash may not cause a split of the convection zone as it was seen in simulations of He…
s-process nucleosynthesis in low-mass AGB stars by the $^{13}$C($α$,n)$^{16}$O neutron source
University of Granada（格拉纳达大学）；University of Perugia（佩鲁贾大学）；INFN Section of Perugia（意大利国家核物理研究所佩鲁贾分部）；INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma（意大利国家天体物理研究所罗马天文台）；INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico d’Abruzzo（意大利国家天体物理研究所阿布鲁佐天文台）；INFN, Sezione di Roma（意大利国家核物理研究所罗马分部）
We review the lives, deaths and nucleosynthetic signatures of intermediate mass stars in the range approximately 6.5-12 Msun, which form super-AGB stars near the end of their lives. We examine the critical mass boundaries both between different types of massive white dwarfs (CO, CO-Ne, ONe) and between white dwarfs and supernovae and discuss the relative fraction of super-AGB stars that end life as either an ONe white dwarf or as a neutron star (or an ONeFe white dwarf), after undergoing an electron capture supernova. We also discuss the contribution of the other potential single-star channels…
We have calculated the stellar $β$-decay rate of the important s-process branching point ${}^{134}$Cs based on the state of the art shell model calculations. At typical $s$-process temperatures ($T\sim$ 0.2-0.3 GK), our new rate is one order of magnitude lower than the widely-used rate from Takahashi and Yokoi (hereafter TY87). The impact on the nucleosynthesis in AGB stars is investigated with various masses and metallicities. Our new decay rate leads to an overall decrease in the ${}^{134}$Ba/${}^{136}$Ba ratio, and well explains the measured ratio in meteorities without introducing the $i$ …
We compare updated Torino postprocessing asymptotic giant branch (AGB) nucleosynthesis model calculations with isotopic compositions of mainstream SiC dust grains from low-mass AGB stars. Based on the data-model comparison, we provide new constraints on the major neutron source, 13C(α,n)16O in the He-intershell, for the s-process. We show that the literature Ni, Sr, and Ba grain data can only be consistently explained by the Torino model calculations that adopt the recently proposed magnetic-buoyancy-induced 13C-pocket. This observation provides strong support to the suggestion of deep mixing …
We discuss theoretical AGB predictions for hydrogen-deficient PG 1159 stars and Sakurai's object, which show peculiar enhancements in He, C and O, and how these enhancements may be understood in the framework of a very late thermal pulse nucleosynthetic event. We then discuss the nucleosynthesis origin of rare subclasses of presolar grains extracted from carbonaceous meteorites, the SiC AB grains showing low 12C/13C in the range 2 to 10 and the very few high-density graphite grains with 12C/13C around 10.
Graphite is one of the many presolar circumstellar condensate species found in primitive meteorites. While the isotopic compositions of low-density graphite grains indicate an origin in core-collapse supernovae, some high-density grains have extreme isotopic anomalies in C, Ca and Ti, which cannot be explained by envelope predictions of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars or theoretical supernova models. The Ca and Ti isotopic anomalies, however, match the predictions of He-shell abundances in AGB stars. In this study, we show that the C, Ca, and Ti isotopic anomalies are consistent with nucle…
