Evolved Stars and their Circumstellar Environments
Event date
-
Location
Online
Event Type
Workshop

December 14-17, 2021
7am-11am, Pacific Time

When low- and intermediate-mass stars exhaust their nuclear fuel in their cores, they expand and enter the giant branch in the HR diagram. Eventually, some also ascend the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), potentially leading to planetary nebulae formation.  AGB stars dominate the enrichment of several of the pre-biotic elements (e.g. C, N) and are therefore critical to our understanding of Galactic chemical evolution.  The evolution of supergiants can  provide information on open cluster evolution and star formation history. Generally speaking, evolved stellar objects also provide unique laboratories for the study of molecule and dust formation and matter-radiation interactions in highly irradiated environments.

This workshop will explore how theoretical and observational studies of evolved stellar objects can contribute to the understanding of a critical part of stellar evolution. Because giant stars tend to be cool with significant circumstellar, often dusty, envelopes, red [super] giants, AGB stars, planetary nebulae, and related objects are ideally suited for studies at infrared and [sub]mm wavelengths.  We will encourage discussions on synergies between infrared observations and other techniques, and how laboratory work can contribute to the advancement of the field.

Addressed topics will include:

  • Gas chemistry in different regions of stellar objects / different star types
  • Connection to the ISM
  • Elemental enrichment
  • Dust formation theory
  • Dust observations: chemical composition and polarimetric properties
  • Temporal evolution
  • Related Laboratory Experimental studies

Invited Speakers

Ciska Kemper (ASIAA/ ESO)
Harold Linnartz (Leiden)
Greg Sloan (STScI/UNC)
José Cernicharo (CSIC)
Lucy Ziurys (U. of Arizona)
Maria Lugaro (Konkoly Observatory Budapest)
Christine Joblin (IRAP Toulouse)
Albert Zijlstra (University of Manchester)

Discussion Moderators

Christine Joblin (IRAP Toulouse)
Angela Speck (UT San Antonio)
Joel Kastner (RIT)
Susanna Widicus Weaver (U. Wisconsin Madison)

Observational Synergies Panel

Nimesh Patel, chair (SMA/CfA)
Lynn Matthews (MIT Haystack)
Raghvendra Sahai (JPL)
Tomek Kaminski (Nicolaus Copernicus Center at Polish Academy of Sciences)
Steven Goldman (SOFIA/USRA)

Science Organizing Committee

B-G Andersson, chair (USRA/SOFIA)
Guido Fuchs (Kassel University)
Harriet Dinerstein (UT Austin)
Nimesh Patel (SMA/ Smithsonian Institution)
Kathleen Kraemer (Boston College)
Jose Cernicharo (CSIC)
Ed Montiel (USRA/SOFIA)
Arielle Moullet (USRA/SOFIA)