Exploring wind-driving dust species in cool luminous giants III. Wind models for M-type AGB stars: dynamic and photometric properties

Stellar winds observed in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are usually attributed to a combination of stellar pulsations and radiation pressure on dust. Shock waves triggered by pulsations propagate through the atmosphere, compressing the gas and lifting it to cooler regions, which create favourable conditions for grain growth. If sufficient radiative acceleration is exerted on the newly formed grains through absorption or scattering of stellar photons, an outflow can be triggered. Strong candidates for wind-driving dust species in M-type AGB stars are magnesium silicates (Mg$_2$SiO$_4$ and MgSiO$_3$). Such grains can form close to the stellar surface, they consist of abundant materials and, if they grow to sizes comparable to the wavelength of the stellar flux maximum, they experience strong acceleration by photon scattering. We use a frequency-dependent radiation-hydrodynamics code with a detailed description for the growth of Mg$_2$SiO$_4$ grains to calculate the first extensive set of time-dependent wind models for M-type AGB stars. The resulting wind properties, visual and near-IR photometry and mid-IR spectra are compared with observations.We show that the models can produce outflows for a wide range of stellar parameters. We also demonstrate that they reproduce observed mass-loss rates and wind velocities, as well as visual and near-IR photometry. However, the current models do not show the characteristic silicate features at 10 and 18 $\mu$m as a result of the cool temperature of Mg$_2$SiO$_4$ grains in the wind. Including a small amount of Fe in the grains further out in the circumstellar envelope will increase the grain temperature and result in pronounced silicate features, without significantly affecting the photometry in the visual and near-IR wavelength regions.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure

Exploring wind-driving dust species in cool luminous giants II. Constraints from photometry of M-type AGB stars

The heavy mass loss observed in evolved asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars is usually attributed to a two-stage process: atmospheric levitation by pulsation-induced shock waves, followed by radiative acceleration of newly formed dust grains. The dust transfers momentum to the surrounding gas through collisions and thereby triggers a general outflow. Radiation-hydrodynamical models of M-type AGB stars suggest that these winds can be driven by photon scattering -- in contrast to absorption -- on Fe-free silicate grains of sizes 0.1--1\,$\mu$m. In this paper we study photometric constraints for wind-driving dust species in M-type AGB stars, as part of an ongoing effort to identify likely candidates among the grain materials observed in circumstellar envelopes. To investigate the scenario of stellar winds driven by photon scattering on dust, and to explore how different optical and chemical properties of wind-driving dust species affect photometry we focus on two sets of dynamical models atmospheres: (i) models using a detailed description for the growth of Mg$_2$SiO$_4$ grains, taking into account both scattering and absorption cross-sections when calculating the radiative acceleration, and (ii) models using a parameterized dust description, constructed to represent different chemical and optical dust properties. By comparing synthetic photometry from these two sets of models to observations of M-type AGB stars we can provide constraints on the properties of wind-driving dust species. Photometry from wind models with a detailed description for the growth of Mg$_2$SiO$_4$ grains reproduces well both the values and the time-dependent behavior of observations of M-type AGB stars, providing further support for the scenario of winds driven by photon scattering on dust.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 15 pages, 14 figure

Experimental f-value and isotopic structure for the Ni I line blended with [OI] at 6300A

We have measured the oscillator strength of the Ni I line at 6300.34 \AA, which is known to be blended with the forbidden [O I] $\lambda$6300 line, used for determination of the oxygen abundance in cool stars. We give also wavelengths of the two isotopic line components of $^{58}$Ni and $^{60}$Ni derived from the asymmetric laboratory line profile. These two line components of Ni I have to be considered when calculating a line profile of the 6300 \AA\ feature observed in stellar and solar spectra. We also discuss the labelling of the energy levels involved in the Ni I line, as level mixing makes the theoretical predictions uncertain.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJLetter

The effect of multiple paternity on genetic diversity during and after colonisation

In metapopulations, genetic variation of local populations is influenced by the genetic content of the founders, and of migrants following establishment. We analyse the effect of multiple paternity on genetic diversity using a model in which the highly promiscuous marine snail Littorina saxatilis expands from a mainland to colonise initially empty islands of an archipelago. Migrant females carry a large number of eggs fertilised by 1 - 10 mates. We quantify the genetic diversity of the population in terms of its heterozygosity: initially during the transient colonisation process, and at long times when the population has reached an equilibrium state with migration. During colonisation, multiple paternity increases the heterozygosity by 10 - 300 % in comparison with the case of single paternity. The equilibrium state, by contrast, is less strongly affected: multiple paternity gives rise to 10 - 50 % higher heterozygosity compared with single paternity. Further we find that far from the mainland, new mutations spreading from the mainland cause bursts of high genetic diversity separated by long periods of low diversity. This effect is boosted by multiple paternity. We conclude that multiple paternity facilitates colonisation and maintenance of small populations, whether or not this is the main cause for the evolution of extreme promiscuity in Littorina saxatilis.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, electronic supplementary materia

On the O II ground configuration energy levels

The most accurate way to measure the energy levels for the O II 2p^3 ground configuration has been from the forbidden lines in planetary nebulae. We present an analysis of modern planetary nebula data that nicely constrain the splitting within the ^2D term and the separation of this term from the ground ^4S_{3/2} level. We extend this method to H II regions using high-resolution spectroscopy of the Orion nebula, covering all six visible transitions within the ground configuration. These data confirm the splitting of the ^2D term while additionally constraining the splitting of the ^2P term. The energies of the ^2P and ^2D terms relative to the ground (^4S) term are constrained by requiring that all six lines give the same radial velocity, consistent with independent limits placed on the motion of the O+ gas and the planetary nebula data.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures. To be published in Ap

Oscillator Strengths and Damping Constants for Atomic Lines in the J and H Bands

We have built a line list in the near-infrared J and H bands (1.00-1.34, 1.49-1.80 um) by gathering a series of laboratory and computed line lists. Oscillator strengths and damping constants were computed or obtained by fitting the solar spectrum. The line list presented in this paper is, to our knowledge, the most complete one now available, and supersedes previous lists.Comment: Accepted, Astrophysical Journal Supplement, tentatively scheduled for the Sep. 1999 Vol. 124 #1 issue. Text and tables also available at http://www.iagusp.usp.br/~jorge

The Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES) IV. Detailed abundance analysis and age dating of the strongly r-process enhanced stars CS 29491-069 and HE 1219-0312

We report on a detailed abundance analysis of two strongly r-process enhanced, very metal-poor stars newly discovered in the HERES project, CS 29491-069 ([Fe/H]=-2.51, [r/Fe]=+1.1) and HE 1219-0312 ([Fe/H]=-2.96, [r/Fe]=+1.5). The analysis is based on high-quality VLT/UVES spectra and MARCS model atmospheres. We detect lines of 15 heavy elements in the spectrum of CS 29491-069, and 18 in HE 1219-0312; in both cases including the Th II 4019 {\AA} line. The heavy-element abundance patterns of these two stars are mostly well-matched to scaled solar residual abundances not formed by the s-process. We also compare the observed pattern with recent high-entropy wind (HEW) calculations, which assume core-collapse supernovae of massive stars as the astrophysical environment for the r-process, and find good agreement for most lanthanides. The abundance ratios of the lighter elements strontium, yttrium, and zirconium, which are presumably not formed by the main r-process, are reproduced well by the model. Radioactive dating for CS 29491-069 with the observed thorium and rare-earth element abundance pairs results in an average age of 9.5 Gyr, when based on solar r-process residuals, and 17.6 Gyr, when using HEW model predictions. Chronometry seems to fail in the case of HE 1219-0312, resulting in a negative age due to its high thorium abundance. HE 1219-0312 could therefore exhibit an overabundance of the heaviest elements, which is sometimes called an "actinide boost"

Fundamental parameters of 16 late-type stars derived from their angular diameter measured with VLTI/AMBER

Thanks to their large angular dimension and brightness, red giants and supergiants are privileged targets for optical long-baseline interferometers. Sixteen red giants and supergiants have been observed with the VLTI/AMBER facility over a two-years period, at medium spectral resolution (R=1500) in the K band. The limb-darkened angular diameters are derived from fits of stellar atmospheric models on the visibility and the triple product data. The angular diameters do not show any significant temporal variation, except for one target: TX Psc, which shows a variation of 4% using visibility data. For the eight targets previously measured by Long-Baseline Interferometry (LBI) in the same spectral range, the difference between our diameters and the literature values is less than 5%, except for TX Psc, which shows a difference of 11%. For the 8 other targets, the present angular diameters are the first measured from LBI. Angular diameters are then used to determine several fundamental stellar parameters, and to locate these targets in the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (HRD). Except for the enigmatic Tc-poor low-mass carbon star W Ori, the location of Tc-rich stars in the HRD matches remarkably well the thermally-pulsating AGB, as it is predicted by the stellar-evolution models. For pulsating stars with periods available, we compute the pulsation constant and locate the stars along the various sequences in the Period -- Luminosity diagram. We confirm the increase in mass along the pulsation sequences, as predicted by the theory, except for W Ori which, despite being less massive, appears to have a longer period than T Cet along the first-overtone sequence.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 6 table