An ALMA Reconnaissance of Distant Dying Stars

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support an observational program to learn about mass loss in the late stages of evolution of intermediate-mass stars, especially those in the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase of evolution. The project focuses on three main questions: (1) how each generation of stars returns nuclear-processed and unprocessed material to the interstellar medium; (2) how much dust is produced in the winds from cool, luminous giants; and (3) how mass loss depends on the chemical abundances of the parent stars. The first phases of observations will be conducted in the near-infrared, with later follow-up observations on the new Atacama Large Millimetre-submillimetre Array (ALMA). The study of dying stars has many implications for stellar evolution, galactic astronomy, and nucleosynthesis. Undergraduate students will participate in all stages of the project.