Mass loss from evolved stars. I - Observations of 17 stars in the CO/2-1/ line

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (286) References (53) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Mass loss from evolved stars. I. Observations of 17 stars in the CO(2-1) line. Knapp, G. R. ; Phillips, T. G. ; Leighton, R. B. ; Lo, K. Y. ; Wannier, P. G. ; Wootten, H. A. ; Huggins, P. J. Abstract Observations of 29 evolved stars in the CO J = 2-1 line are reported. For 17 of the stars, CO emission from circumstellar molecular gas is detected. Four of the stars (R Leo, R LMi, RX Boo, and Alpha Ori) are detected as CO sources for the first time. The data are analyzed using a simple approximate model of the molecular emission from a stellar molecular envelope, and values of the mass-loss rate are found. Most of the stellar envelopes are found to be optically thick in the CO lines. The mass loss rates for the carbon stars are seen as too large in many cases to be driven by radiation pressure on dust in the envelope. For the Mira variables and possibly for the S stars, the fraction of the stellar photon momentum corresponding to the observed mass loss rate is found to correlate with the amount of dust in the envelope. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: January 1982 DOI: 10.1086/159589 Bibcode: 1982ApJ...252..616K Keywords: Carbon Monoxide; Late Stars; Line Spectra; Stellar Envelopes; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Mass Ejection; Carbon Stars; Cosmic Dust; Emission Spectra; Main Sequence Stars; Mira Variables; Molecular Spectra; Optical Thickness; Planetary Nebulae; Radiation Pressure; Stellar Models; Variable Stars; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (36) Related Materials (7) Part 2: 1983ApJ...275..330S Part 3: 1985ApJ...292..640K Part 4: 1986ApJ...303..521K Part 5: 1985ApJ...293..273K Part 6: 1985ApJ...293..281K Part 7: 1986ApJ...311..731K Part 8: 1987ApJ...323..734N