Observations of increasingly higher spatial resolution reveal the existence of asymmetries in the circumstellar envelopes of a small fraction of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Although there is no general consensus for their origin, a binary companion star may be responsible. Within this framework, we investigate the gravitational effects associated with a sufficiently wide binary system, where Roche lobe overflow is unimportant, on the outflowing envelopes of AGB stars using three dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. The effects due to individual binary components are separately studied, enabling investigation of the stellar and circumstellar characteristics in detail. The reflex motion of the AGB star alters the wind velocity distribution, thereby, determining the overall shape of the outflowing envelope. On the other hand, the interaction of the companion with the envelope produces a gravitational wake, which exhibits a vertically thinner shape. The two patterns overlap and form clumpy structures. To illustrate the diversity of shapes, we present the numerical results as a function of inclination angle. Not only is spiral structure produced by the binary interaction, but arc patterns are also found that represent the former structure when viewed at different inclinations. The arcs reveal a systematic shift of their centers of curvature for cases when the orbital speed of the AGB star is comparable to its wind speed. They take on the shape of a peanut for inclinations nearly edge-on. In the limit of slow orbital motion of the AGB star relative to the wind speed, the arc pattern becomes nearly spherically symmetric. We find that the aspect ratio of the overall oblate shape of the pattern is an important diagnostic probe of the binary as it can be used to constrain the orbital velocity of the AGB star, and moreover the binary mass ratio.
A new type of peculiarity -- a splitting or asymmetry of strong absorption lines, is found in the optical spectra of selected post-AGB stars with C-rich circumstellar envelopes. The effect is maximal in BaII lines whose profile is split into two-three components. The particular components of the split absorption lines are shown to be formed in a structured circumstellar envelope, suggesting an efficient dredge-up of the heavy metals produced during the preceding evolution of this star into the envelope. We suspect that the splitting (or asymmetry) of the profiles of strongest absorptions with …
Observations were made for a number of carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes using the Phoenix spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope to determine the abundance of small carbon chain molecules. Vibration-rotation lines of the $ν_{3}$ antisymmetric stretch of C$_{3}$ near 2040 cm$^{-1}$ (4.902 $μ$m) have been used to determine the column density for four carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes: CRL 865, CRL 1922, CRL 2023 and IRC +10216. We additionally calculate the column density of C$_{5}$ for IRC +10216, and provide an upper limit for 5 more objects. An upper limit estimate for the C$_{7}$ co…
We consider the peculiarities of the optical spectra of far evolved stars with circumstellar gaseous-dusty envelopes: the time variability of the absorption-emission profiles of the H$α$ line, the presence of stationary emission and absorption molecular bands, multicomponent complex profiles of the NaI D-doublet lines. We show that the peculiarities of the line profiles (the presence of an emission component in the NaI D-doublet lines, the specific type of the molecular features, the asymmetry or splitting of the profiles of strongest absorptions with low excitation potential of the low level)…
In this paper, a time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic model is presented which aimed at understanding the superwind production by an evolved AGB star and the consecutive formation of a dense circumstellar envelope around it. We know henceforth from various observations that a large scale magnetic field, probably toroidal in shape, is duly attested within these envelopes. Where does this large scale coherent field come from ? The apparent antinomy between the quasi-round dense circumstellar envelopes and their likely descendants, i.e. the elongated or bipolar Planetary Nebulae is also questioned.…
We study the circumstellar evolution of the binary HD101584, consisting of a post-AGB star and a low-mass companion, which is most likely a post-common-envelope-evolution system. We used ALMA observations of the 12CO, 13CO, and C18O J=2-1 lines and the 1.3mm continuum to determine the morphology, kinematics, masses, and energetics of the circumstellar environment. The circumstellar medium has a bipolar hour-glass structure, seen almost pole-on, formed by an energetic jet, about 150 km/s. We conjecture that the circumstellar morphology is related to an event that took place about 500 year ago, …
We present a phenomenological study of CO(1-0) and CO(2-1) emission from the circumstellar envelope (CSE) of the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star RS\,Cnc. It reveals departures from central symmetry that turn out to be efficient tools for the exploration of some of the CSE properties. We use a wind model including a bipolar flow with a typical wind velocity of $\sim$8 km\,s$^{-1}$ decreasing to $\sim$2 km\,s$^{-1}$ near the equator to describe Doppler velocity spectral maps obtained by merging data collected at the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer and Pico Veleta single dish radio telesco…
We investigate the formation of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the inner circumstellar envelopes of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stars. A dynamic model for periodically shocked atmospheres, which includes an extended chemo-kinetic network, is for the first time coupled to detailed evolutionary tracks for the TP-AGB phase computed with the COLIBRI code. We carried out a calibration of the main shock parameters (the shock formation radius and the effective adiabatic index) using the circumstellar HCN abundances recently measured for a populous sample of pulsating TP-AGB stars. O…
The physical mechanism through which the outgoing material of massive red supergiants is accelerated above the escape velocity is unclear. Thanks to the transparency of its circumstellar envelope, the nearby red supergiant Betelgeuse gives the opportunity to probe the innermost layers of the envelope of a typical red supergiant down to the photosphere, i.e. where the acceleration of the wind is expected to occur. We took advantage of the SPHERE/ZIMPOL adaptive optics imaging polarimeter to resolve the visible photosphere and close envelope of Betelgeuse. We detect an asymmetric gaseous envelop…
Carbon monoxide is the most abundant molecule after H$_2$ and is important for chemistry in circumstellar envelopes around late-type stars. The size of the envelope is important when modelling low-J transition lines and deriving mass-loss rates from such lines. Now that ALMA is coming to full power the extent of the CO emitting region can be measured directly for nearby asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. In parallel, it has become obvious in the past few years that the strength of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF) can have a significant impact on the interpretation of the emission line…
Studies of the CO and HI radio emission of some evolved stars are presented using data collected by the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer and Pico Veleta telescope, the Nançay Radio Telescope and the JVLA and ALMA arrays. Approximate axial symmetry of the physical and kinematic properties of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) are observed in CO emission, in particular, from RS Cnc, EP Aqr and the Red Rectangle. A common feature is the presence of a bipolar outflow causing an enhanced wind velocity in the polar directions. HI emission extends to larger radial distances than probed by CO emissio…
The dynamical evolution of triple stellar systems could induce the formation of compact binaries and binary mergers. Common envelope (CE) evolution, which plays a major role in the evolution of compact binary systems, can similarly play a key role in the evolution of triples. Here we use hydrodynamical simulations coupled with few-body dynamics to provide the first detailed models of triple common envelope (TCE) evolution. We focus on the circumstellar case, where the envelope of an evolved giant engulfs a compact binary orbiting the giant, which then in-spirals into the core of the evolved st…
Context. Stellar physical properties of star clusters are poorly known. Aims. Our goals are to perform a spectrophotometric study of the B star population in open clusters to derive accurate stellar parameters, search for the presence of circumstellar envelopes, and discuss the characteristics of these stars. Methods. The BCD spectrophotometric system is a powerful tool to obtain fundamental parameters and infer the main properties of open clusters: distance modulus, color excess, and age. We inspected the Balmer discontinuity to seek circumstellar disks and identify Be-star candidates. High r…
We investigate the silicate feature of the two Class I components of HH250-IRS, a resolved binary system with a separation of $0''53$ driving a Herbig-Haro flow. Each component has its own circumstellar envelope, and the system is surrounded by a circumbinary disk. We have carried out low resolution spectroscopy in the 8-13$μ$m range using VISIR at ESO's Very Large Telescope. The silicate features of both sources are clearly different. The NW component has a broad, smooth absorption profile lacking structure. The SE component shows the silicate feature in emission, with structure longwards of …
We calculated theoretical evolutionary sequences of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, including formation and evolution of dust grains in their circumstellar envelope. By considering stellar populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), we calculate synthetic colour-colour and colour-magnitude diagrams, which are compared with those obtained by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The comparison between observations and theoretical predictions outlines that extremely obscured carbon-stars and oxygen-rich sources experiencing hot bottom burning (HBB) occupy well defined, distinct regions in the c…
The problem of de-projection of radio line observations of axi-symmetric expanding circumstellar envelopes is studied with the aim of easing their analysis in terms of physics models. The arguments developed rest on the remark that, in principle, when the wind velocity distribution is known, the effective emissivity can be calculated at any point in space. The paper provides a detailed study of how much this is true in practice. The wind velocity distribution assumed to be axi-symmetric and in expansion, is described by four parameters: the angles defining the orientation of the symmetry axis,…
Carbon monoxide (CO) is the most abundant molecule after molecular hydrogen and is important for the chemistry in circumstellar envelopes around evolved stars. When modelling the strength and shape of molecular lines, the size of the CO envelope is an input parameter and influences the derived mass-loss rates. In particular the low-J transition CO lines are sensitive to the CO photodissociation radius. Recently, new CO photodissociation radii have been published using different formalisms that differ considerably. One set of calculations is based on an escape-probability formalisms that uses n…
In order to constrain the models describing circumstellar environments, it is necessary to solve the radiative transfer equation in the presence of absorption and scattering, coupled with the equation for radiative equilibrium. However, solving this problem requires much CPU time, which makes the use of automatic minimisation procedures to characterise these environments challenging. The use of approximate methods is then of primary interest. One promising candidate method is the flux-limited diffusion (FLD), which recasts the radiative transfer problem into a non-linear diffusion equation. On…
Circumstellar dust is formed and evolved within the envelope of evolved stars, including Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) and Red Supergiant (RSG). The extinction of stellar light by circumstellar dust is vital for interpreting RSG/AGB observations and determining high-mass RSG progenitors of core-collapse supernovae. Nevertheless, circumstellar dust properties are not well understood. Modern understanding of dust evolution suggests that intense stellar radiation can radically change the dust properties across the circumstellar envelope through the RAdiative Torque Disruption (RAT-D) mechanism. I…
FU Orionis-type objects are young, low-mass stars with large outbursts in visible light that last for several years or decades. They are thought to represent an evolutionary phase during the life of every young star when accretion from the circumstellar disk is enhanced during recurring time periods. These outbursts are able to rapidly build up the star while affecting the circumstellar disk and thus the ongoing or future planet formation. In many models infall from a circumstellar envelope seems to be necessary to trigger the outbursts. We observed the J=1$-$0 rotational transition of $^{13}$…
This paper is framed within a large project devoted to studying the presence of circumstellar material around main sequence stars, and looking for exocometary events. The work concentrates on HR 10 (A2 IV/V), known for its conspicuous variability in the circumstellar narrow absorption features of Ca II K and other lines, so far interpreted as $β$ Pic-like phenomena, within the falling evaporating body scenario. The main goal of this paper is to carry out a thorough study of HR 10 to find the origin of the observed variability, determine the nature of the star, its absolute parameters, and evol…
The small-scale bipolar jets having short dynamical ages from "water fountain (WF)" sources are regarded as an indication of the onset of circumstellar envelope morphological metamorphosis of intermediate-mass stars. Such process usually happens at the end of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase. However, recent studies found that WFs could be AGB stars or even early planetary nebulae. This fact prompted the idea that WFs may not necessarily be objects at the beginning of the morphological transition process. In the present work, we show that WFs could have different envelope morphologies b…
High spectral resolution mid-IR observations of ethylene (C2H4) towards the AGB star IRC+10216 were obtained using the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES) at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). Eighty ro-vibrational lines from the 10.5 um vibrational mode nu7 with J<30 were detected in absorption. The observed lines are divided into two groups with rotational temperatures of 105 and 400 K (warm and hot lines). The warm lines peak at ~-14 km/s with respect to the systemic velocity, suggesting that they are mostly formed outwards from ~20R*. The hot lines are centered at -1…
Recent high spatial resolution observations of gas and dust in the circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of AGB stars indicate morphologies much more complex than the smooth density distributions generated by spherically symmetric, constant mass loss rates. In particular, the observation of spiral arcs and disks indicate the likely presence of a binary companion which in some cases give rise to the UV photons detected by GALEX. In this Article, we extend our recent model of the chemistry in a clumpy, porous CSE around an AGB star to include the influence of stellar blackbody photons on the CSE chemis…
Stars with B[e] phenomenon comprise a very diverse group of objects in a different evolutionary status. These objects show common spectral characteristics, including presence of Balmer lines in emission, forbidden lines, and strong infrared excess due to the dust. The observations of emission lines indicate the illumination by ultraviolet ionizing source, which is a key part to understand the elusive nature of these objects. We study the ultraviolet variability of many B[e] stars to specify the geometry of the circumstellar environment and its variability. We analyse massive hot B[e] stars fro…
Atacama Large Millimetre/sub-millimetre Array (ALMA) observations of the CO(1-0) and CO(2-1) emissions from the circumstellar envelope of the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star EP Aqr have been made with four times better spatial resolution than previously available. They are analysed with emphasis on the de-projection in space of the effective emissivity and flux of matter using as input a prescribed configuration of the velocity field, assumed to be radial. The data are found to display an intrinsic axi-symmetry with respect to an axis making a small angle with the line of sight. A broad ran…
We model explosions driven by the coalescence of a black hole or neutron star with the core of its massive-star companion. Upon entering a common envelope phase, a compact object may spiral all the way to the core. The concurrent release of energy is likely to be deposited into the surrounding common envelope, powering a merger-driven explosion. We use hydrodynamic models of binary coalescence to model the common envelope density distribution at the time of coalescence. We find toroidal profiles of material, concentrated in the binary's equatorial plane and extending to many times the massive …
The mass loss process along the AGB phase is crucial for the formation of circumstellar envelopes (CSEs), which in the post-AGB phase will evolve into planetary nebulae (PNe). There are still important issues that need to be further explored in this field; in particular, the formation of axially symmetric PNe from spherical CSEs. To address the problem, we have conducted high S/N IRAM 30m observations of 12CO J=1-0 and J=2-1, and 13CO J=1-0 in a volume-limited unbiased sample of semi-regular variables (SRs). We also conducted Yebes 40m SiO J=1-0 observations in 1/2 of the sample in order to co…
Stars with masses between 1 and 8 solar masses (M$_\odot$) lose large amounts of material in the form of gas and dust in the late stages of stellar evolution, during their Asymptotic Giant Branch phase. Such stars supply up to 35% of the dust in the interstellar medium and thus contribute to the material out of which our solar system formed. In addition, the circumstellar envelopes of these stars are sites of complex, organic chemistry with over 80 molecules detected in them. We show that internal ultraviolet photons, either emitted by the star itself or from a close-in, orbiting companion, ca…
The presence of neutral C60 fullerenes in circumstellar environments has been firmly established by astronomical observations as well as laboratory experiments and quantum-chemistry calculations. However, the large variations observed in the C60 17.4um/18.9um band ratios indicate that either additional emitters should contribute to the astronomical IR spectra or there exist unknown physical processes besides thermal and UV excitation. Fullerene-based molecules such as metallofullerenes and fullerene-adducts are natural candidate species as potential additional emitters, but no specific species…
A number of Type I (hydrogenless) superluminous supernova (SLSN) events have been discovered recently. However, their nature remains debatable. One of the most promising ideas is the shock-interaction mechanism, but only simplified semi-analytical models have been applied so far. We simulate light curves for several Type I SLSN (SLSN-I) models enshrouded by dense, non-hydrogen circumstellar envelopes, using a multi-group radiation hydrodynamics code that predicts not only bolometric, but also multicolor light curves. We demonstrate that the bulk of SLSNe-I including those with relatively narro…
Either bulk rotation or local turbulence is widely invoked to drive fragmentation in collapsing cores so as to produce multiple star systems. Even when the two mechanisms predict different manners in which the stellar spins and orbits are aligned, subsequent internal or external interactions can drive multiple systems towards or away from alignment thus masking their formation process. Here, we demonstrate that the geometrical and dynamical relationship between the binary system and its surrounding bulk envelope provide the crucial distinction between fragmentation models. We find that the cir…
