Dust formation from evolved stars

Stars evolved through the asymptotic giant branch are the most efficient dust manufacturers in the Universe. This is related to the structure of their wind, which proves an extremely favourable environment for the condensation of gas molecules into solid grains. In this talk I will review the status of the Art of dust formation modelling in the circumstellar envelope of AGB stars and present the expected dust yields for various masses and metallicities. These theoretical predictions have been tested against the Spitzer photometric and spectroscopic observations of evolved stars in the Magellanic Clouds and in Local group galaxies,  and have been successfully used to characterize the evolved stellar population of these galaxies, in terms of mass, formation epoch and chemical composition of the stars nowadays observed. The perspectives opened by the incoming launch of the James Webb Telescope are also commented.

• Date:
  June 10, 2021, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  
  
• Location:

  Colloquium Zoom room

  
  
• Contact:
  Sydney Barnes