Asymptotic Giant Branch
Feb 02, 2016
Asymptotic Giant Branch
Learning outcomes
• Evolution and internal structure of low mass stars from the core He burning phase to the tip of the AGB
• Nucleosynthesis and dredge up on the AGB
• Basic understanding of variability as observed on the AGB
Pagel, 1997
RGB phase
Pagel, 1997
He-flash and core He-burning
Early AGB
• Lower part of Asymptotic Giant Branch• He shell provides most of the energy• L increases, Teff decreases• M>4.5 Msun: 2nd dredge up phase
increase of 14N, decrease of 16O• Re-ignition of H shell
begin of thermal pulses (TP)
Internal structure
Thermal Pulses
1. Quiet phase, H shell provides luminosity, T increase in He shell
2. He shell ignition (shell flash), expansion, H shell off
3. Cooling of He shell, reduction of energy production
4. Convective envelope reaches burning layers, third dredge up
5. Recovery of H-burning shell, quiet phase
PDCZ...Pulse driven convection zone
Thermal Pulses
continuous line...surface luminosity dashed line...H-burning luminositydotted line...He-burning luminosity Wood & Zarro 1981
Probability for observing an AGB star at a given luminosity during a thermal pulse. Boothroyd & Sackmann 1988
Vassiliadis & Wood 1993
Wood & Zarro 1981
Nucleosynthesis on the AGB
• H, He burning: He, C, O, N, F(?)
• Slow neutron capture (s-process): various nuclei from Sr to Bi
• Hot bottom burning (HBB): N, Li, Al(?)only for M≥4 Msun
Neutron capture
Sneden & Cowen 2003
Pagel 1997
Sneden & Cowen 2003
Busso et al. 1999
weakcomponent(A<90)
main component(A<208)
strongcomponent(Pb, Bi)
13C pocket13C (α,n) 16OProduction of 13C from 12C (p capture)
The solid and dashed lines are from theoretical models calculated for a 1.5 solar mass star with varying mass of the 13C pocket. The solid line corresponds to ⅔ of the standard mass (which is 4×10−6 solar masses). The upper and lower dashed curve represent the envelope of a set of calculations where the 13C pocket mass varied from 1/24 to twice the standard mass (figure taken from Busso et al. 2001)
Hot Bottom Burning (HBB)
• Motivation: Carbon Star Mystery – Missing of very luminous C-stars
• Solution:Bottom of the convective envelope is hot enough for running the CNO-cycle: 12C13C 14N(only in stars with M≥4 Msun)
Latt
anzi
o &
For
estin
i 199
9
HBB Li production• Normaly Li destroyed through p capture• Cameron/Fowler mechanism (1971):
3He (,) 7Be mixed to cooler layers 7Be(e-,)7Li
• Explains existence of super Li-rich stars
6000 6500 7000 7500 80000
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Li
WZ CasLFO/OeFOSCOctober 2003
AD
U
wavelength [A]
Indicators for 3rd dredge up
• existence & frequency of C-stars• C/O, 12C/13C• Isotopic ratios of O• Abundances of s-process elements in
the photosphere (e.g. ZrO-bands, Tc, S-type stars)
• Dependent on core mass, envelope mass, metallicity
Typical AGB star characteristics
• Radius: 200 - 600 Rsun
• Teff: 2000 - 3500 K
• L: up to Mbol = -7.5
• Mass loss rates: 10-8 to 10-4 Msun/yr
• Variability period: 30 - 2800 days
Summary of 1 Msun evolutionApproximate timescales
Phase (yrs)
Main-sequence 9 x109
Subgiant 3 x109
Redgiant Branch 1 x109
Red clump 1 x 108
AGB evolution ~5x106
PNe ~1x105
WD cooling >8x109
Contributions to the ISM
1
10
100
%
TP-AGB SN RGB WR R,YSG E-AGB MS
Sedlmayr 1994
Pulsation mechanisms
Motivation
• Most AGB stars (see later) and obviously also a large fraction of the RGB stars are variable
• Variations in brightness, colour, velocity and extension observed
• Possibility to „look“ into the stellar interior
Reasons for variability(single star)
• Pulsation
• Star spots, convective cells, asymmetries
• Variable dust extinction
Pulsation (background)
• Radial oscillations of a pulsating star are result of sound waves resonating in the star‘s interior
• Estimating the typical period from crossing time of a sound wave through the star
vs P
dP
dr 43G2r
P(r)2
3G2(R2 r2)
2 dr
vs0
R
32G
const.
adiabatic sound speed
hydrostatic equilibrium
integration with P=0at the surface
Q
sunPulsation constant
Typical periods for AGB stars: a few 100 days
Pulsation modes
Radial modes = standing waves
0
R
0
R
0
R
fundamental first overtone second overtonemode
Driving pulsations
• To support a standing wave the driving layer must absorb heat (opacity has to increase) during maximum compression
• Normally opacity decreases with increasing T (i.e. increasing P)
• Solution: partially ionized zones compression produces further ionization
mechanism(opacity mechanism)
Expansion:Energy released by recombinationin part. ionization zone
Compression:Energy stored by increasing ionizationin part. ionization zone
In AGB stars: hydrogen ionization zone as driving layer
Spots, convective cells & asymmetries
• Expect only a few large convective cells on the surface of a red giant
• Convective cell: hot matter moving upwards brighter than cold matter moving downwards
No averaging for cell size ≈ surface size small amplitude light variations
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benötigt.
Simulation Bernd Freytag
Asymmetries
Kiss et al. 2000