184 research outputs found
Pulsation-induced atmospheric dynamics in M-type AGB stars. Effects on wind properties, photometric variations and near-IR CO line profiles
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. 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.
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. 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
lines), an overall phase shift of 0.2 between the maxima of the luminosity and
radial variation had to be introduced. 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
Dust-driven winds of AGB stars: The critical interplay of atmospheric shocks and luminosity variations
Winds of AGB stars are thought to be driven by a combination of
pulsation-induced shock waves and radiation pressure on dust. In dynamic
atmosphere and wind models, the stellar pulsation is often simulated by
prescribing a simple sinusoidal variation in velocity and luminosity at the
inner boundary of the model atmosphere. We experiment with different forms of
the luminosity variation in order to assess the effects on the wind velocity
and mass-loss rate, when progressing from the simple sinusoidal recipe towards
more realistic descriptions. Using state-of-the-art dynamical models of C-rich
AGB stars, a range of different asymmetric shapes of the luminosity variation
and a range of phase shifts of the luminosity variation relative to the radial
variation are tested. These tests are performed on two stellar atmosphere
models. The first model has dust condensation and, as a consequence, a stellar
wind is triggered, while the second model lacks both dust and wind. The first
model with dust and stellar wind is very sensitive to moderate changes in the
luminosity variation. There is a complex relationship between the luminosity
minimum, and dust condensation: changing the phase corresponding to minimum
luminosity can either increase or decrease mass-loss rate and wind velocity.
The luminosity maximum dominates the radiative pressure on the dust, which in
turn, is important for driving the wind. These effects of changed luminosity
variation are coupled with the dust formation. In contrast there is very little
change to the structure of the model without dust. Changing the luminosity
variation, both by introducing a phase shift and by modifying the shape,
influences wind velocity and the mass-loss rate. To improve wind models it
would probably be desirable to extract boundary conditions from 3D dynamical
interior models or stellar pulsation models.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&
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\,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 MgSiO 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
MgSiO 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
Requirements in feature algebra
Feature Algebra is intended to capture the commonalities of feature oriented software development (FOSD), such as introductions, refinements and quantification. It allows denoting systems composed of features by algebraic terms and transforming the systems by manipulating the terms using the laws of the algebra. The algebraic view abstracts from differences of minor importance and leads to more compact and effective reasoning. While the existing Feature Algebra covers most of the main aspects of FOSD, so far requirements have not been integrated into it. They naturally arise in connection with different aspects of feature orientation, such as feature elicitation, feature dependence, mutual feature exclusion and feature interaction. This paper presents a possibility for integrating requirements into Feature Algebra
Observing and modeling the dynamic atmosphere of the low mass-loss C-star R Sculptoris at high angular resolution
We study the circumstellar environment of the carbon-rich star R Scl using
the near- and mid-infrared high spatial resolution observations from the
ESO-VLTI instruments VINCI and MIDI. These observations aim at increasing our
knowledge of the dynamic processes in play within the very close circumstellar
environment where the mass loss of AGB stars is initiated. Data are interpreted
using a self-consistent dynamic model. Interferometric observations do not show
any significant variability effect at the 16 m baseline between phases 0.17 and
0.23 in the K band, and for both the 15 m baseline between phases 0.66 and 0.97
and the 31 m baseline between phases 0.90 and 0.97 in the N band. We find
fairly good agreement between the dynamic model and the spectrophotometric data
from 0.4 to 25 m. The model agrees well with the time-dependent flux data
at 8.5 m, whereas it is too faint at 11.3 and 12.5 m. The VINCI
visibilities are reproduced well, meaning that the extension of the model is
suitable in the K-band. In the mid-infrared, the model has the proper extension
to reveal molecular structures of C2H2 and HCN located above the stellar
photosphere. However, the windless model used is not able to reproduce the more
extended and dense dusty environment. Among the different explanations for the
discrepancy between the model and the measurements, the strong nonequilibrium
process of dust formation is one of the most probable. The complete dynamic
coupling of gas and dust and the approximation of grain opacities with the
small-particle limit in the dynamic calculation could also contribute to the
difference between the model and the data
Abundance analysis for long period variables. Velocity effects studied with O-rich dynamic model atmospheres
(abbreviated) Measuring the surface abundances of AGB stars is an important
tool for studying the effects of nucleosynthesis and mixing in the interior of
low- to intermediate mass stars during their final evolutionary phases. The
atmospheres of AGB stars can be strongly affected by stellar pulsation and the
development of a stellar wind, though, and the abundance determination of these
objects should therefore be based on dynamic model atmospheres. We investigate
the effects of stellar pulsation and mass loss on the appearance of selected
spectral features (line profiles, line intensities) and on the derived
elemental abundances by performing a systematic comparison of hydrostatic and
dynamic model atmospheres. High-resolution synthetic spectra in the near
infrared range were calculated based on two dynamic model atmospheres (at
various phases during the pulsation cycle) as well as a grid of hydrostatic
COMARCS models. Equivalent widths of a selection of atomic and molecular lines
were derived in both cases and compared with each other. In the case of the
dynamic models, the equivalent widths of all investigated features vary over
the pulsation cycle. A consistent reproduction of the derived variations with a
set of hydrostatic models is not possible, but several individual phases and
spectral features can be reproduced well with the help of specific hydrostatic
atmospheric models. In addition, we show that the variations in equivalent
width that we found on the basis of the adopted dynamic model atmospheres agree
qualitatively with observational results for the Mira R Cas over its light
cycle. The findings of our modelling form a starting point to deal with the
problem of abundance determination in strongly dynamic AGB stars (i.e.,
long-period variables).Comment: 13 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Interferometric properties of pulsating C-rich AGB stars I. Intensity profiles and uniform disc diameters of dynamic model atmospheres
We present the first theoretical study on center-to-limb variation (CLV)
properties and relative radius interpretation for narrow and broad-band
filters, on the basis of a set of dynamic model atmospheres of C-rich AGB
stars. We computed visibility profiles and the equivalent uniform disc radii
(UD-radii) in order to investigate the dependence of these quantities upon the
wavelength and pulsation phase. After an accurate morphological analysis of the
visibility and intensity profiles determined in narrow and broad-band filter,
we fitted our visibility profiles with a UD function simulating the
observational approach. UD-radii have been computed using three different
fitting-methods to investigate the influence of the sampling of the visibility
profile: single point, two points and least square method. The intensity and
visibility profiles of models characterized by mass loss show a behaviour very
different from a UD. We found that UD-radii are wavelength dependent and this
dependence is stronger if mass loss is present. Strong opacity contributions
from C2H2 affect all radius measurements at 3 micron and in the N-band,
resulting in higher values for the UD-radii. The predicted behaviour of
UD-radii versus phase is complicated in the case of models with mass loss,
while the radial changes are almost sinusoidal for the models without mass
loss. Compared to the M-type stars, for the C-stars no windows for measuring
the pure continuum are available.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Atmospheric dynamics in carbon-rich Miras. I. Model atmospheres and synthetic line profiles
Atmospheres of evolved AGB stars are heavily affected by pulsation, dust
formation and mass loss, and they can become very extended. Time series of
observed high-resolution spectra proved to be a useful tool to study
atmospheric dynamics throughout the outer layers of these pulsating red giants.
Originating at various depths, different molecular spectral lines observed in
the near-infrared can be used to probe gas velocities there for different
phases during the lightcycle. Dynamic model atmospheres are needed to represent
the complicated structures of Mira variables properly. An important aspect
which should be reproduced by the models is the variation of line profiles due
to the influence of gas velocities. Based on a dynamic model, synthetic spectra
(containing CO and CN lines) were calculated, using an LTE radiative transfer
code that includes velocity effects. It is shown that profiles of lines that
sample different depths qualitatively reproduce the behaviour expected from
observations.Comment: accepted by A&A, 12 pages, 9 figure
Atmospheric dynamics in carbon-rich Miras. II. Models meet observations
Originating in different depths of the very extended atmospheres of AGB
stars, various molecular spectral lines observable in the near-infrared show
diverse behaviours and can be used to probe atmospheric dynamics throughout the
outer layers of these pulsating red giants. In Nowotny et al. (2005, Paper I)
time series of synthetic high-resolution spectra were presented, computed from
a dynamic model atmosphere for a typical carbon-rich Mira. In this work, line
profile shapes, their variations during the lightcycle and radial velocities
derived from wavelength shifts are analyzed and compared with results from
observed FTS spectra of the C-rich Mira S Cep and other Miras. It is found that
the global velocity structure of the model is in qualitative agreement with
observations. Radial velocities of molecular lines sampling different layers
behave comparably, although some differences are apparant concerning absolute
values. A correction factor of p=1.36 between measured RVs and actual gas
velocities is derived for CO dv=3 lines. It is shown that dynamic model
atmospheres are capable of reproducing Mira spectra without introducing an
additional ''static layer'' proposed by several authors.Comment: accepted by A&A, 12 pages, 10 figure
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