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Pulsation-induced atmospheric dynamics in M-type AGB stars: Effects on wind properties, photometric variations and near-IR CO line profiles
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Theoretical Astrophysics.
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Theoretical Astrophysics.
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Theoretical Astrophysics.
University of Vienna, Department of Astrophysics.
2017 (English)In: Astronomy and Astrophysics, ISSN 0004-6361, E-ISSN 1432-0746, Vol. 606, article id A6Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Context. Wind-driving in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is commonly attributed to a two-step process. First, matter in the stellar atmosphere is levitated by shock waves, induced by stellar pulsation, and second, this matter is accelerated by radiation pressure on dust, resulting in a wind. In dynamical atmosphere and wind models the effects of the stellar pulsation are often simulated by a simplistic prescription at the inner boundary.

Aims. We test a sample of dynamical models for M-type AGB stars, for which we kept the stellar parameters fixed to values characteristic of a typical Mira variable but varied the inner boundary condition. The aim was to evaluate the effect on the resulting atmosphere structure and wind properties. The results of the models are compared to observed mass-loss rates and wind velocities, photometry, and radial velocity curves, and to results from 1D radial pulsation models. The goal is to find boundary conditions which give realistic atmosphere and wind properties.

Methods. Dynamical atmosphere models are calculated, using the DARWIN code for different combinations of photospheric velocities and luminosity variations. The inner boundary is changed by introducing an offset between maximum expansion of the stellar surface and the luminosity and/or by using an asymmetric shape for the luminosity variation. Ninety-nine different combinations of theses two changes are tested.

Results. The model atmospheres are very sensitive to the inner boundary. Models that resulted in realistic wind velocities and mass-loss rates, when compared to observations, also produced realistic photometric variations. For the models to also reproduce the characteristic radial velocity curve present in Mira stars (derived from CO Delta v = 3 lines), an overall phase shift of 0.2 between the maxima of the luminosity and radial variation had to be introduced. This is a larger phase shift than is found by 1D radial pulsation models.

Conclusions. We find that a group of models with different boundary conditions (29 models, including the model with standard boundary conditions) results in realistic velocities and mass-loss rates, and in photometric variations. To achieve the correct line splitting time variation a phase shift is needed.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2017. Vol. 606, article id A6
Keywords [en]
stars: AGB and post-AGB, stars: atmospheres, stars: winds, outflows, infrared: stars, line: profiles
National Category
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-337752DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731137ISI: 000412873800006OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-337752DiVA, id: diva2:1173281
Funder
Swedish Research CouncilAvailable from: 2018-01-12 Created: 2018-01-12 Last updated: 2018-04-10Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Stellar Winds of Cool Giants: Investigating the Mass-Loss Mechanism of AGB Stars
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Stellar Winds of Cool Giants: Investigating the Mass-Loss Mechanism of AGB Stars
2018 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are luminous cool giants of low to intermediate mass that are strongly pulsating and non-spherical, with heavy mass loss through a stellar wind. The mass loss makes these stars important for galactic chemistry, as the wind enriches the interstellar medium with new elements and dust, and it determines the final fate of these stars.

The winds of AGB stars are believed to be driven by a combination of pulsation-induced shocks and radiation pressure on dust grains, which form in the atmospheres. The two processes, pulsation and mass loss, are usually simulated using different computational codes, as the physical environment of the atmosphere, where the wind is driven, is vastly different from the interior, where the pulsations originate. In this work we try to bridge this gap.

The dynamical atmosphere and wind code DARWIN is used to study dust driven winds. An extensive grid of DARWIN models is constructed to investigate how the mass-loss rates depend on different stellar parameters. The models reproduce observed dynamical properties and we find a strong correlation between mass-loss rates and luminosities.

The simplified description of stellar pulsation in standard DARWIN models, however, introduces free parameters that need to be constrained. The atmosphere models are highly non-linear and even moderate changes to the pulsation properties may have significant impact on the mass-loss rate and wind velocity.

To self-consistently model the pulsation process, and to study atmospheric structures caused by the convection, the radiation hydrodynamical code CO5BOLD is used to produce an exploratory grid of 3D star-in-a-box models. The resulting models have realistic radii and periods, and give important insights into the complex non-spherical structure of AGB stars. Pulsation properties are derived from the CO5BOLD models and used as input in the DARWIN models. Average wind properties from models with CO5BOLD input agree with the standard DARWIN models, however the winds show large density variations with time, which may affect comparisons with observations.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2018. p. 74
Series
Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology, ISSN 1651-6214 ; 1664
Keywords
late-type stars, AGB stars, stellar winds, stellar atmospheres, dust, stellar pulsation, hydrodynamics, radiative transfer
National Category
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-348125 (URN)978-91-513-0319-2 (ISBN)
Public defence
2018-05-30, Häggsalen, Ångströmslaboratoriet, Läggerhyddsvägen 1, Uppsala, 13:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2018-05-07 Created: 2018-04-10 Last updated: 2018-10-08

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Liljegren, SoofieHöfner, SusanneEriksson, Kjell

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