VLTI/MIDI Large Program: AGB Stars at Different Spatial Scales
Paper in proceeding, 2015

We have observed a sample of Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars from the Herschel Mass-loss of Evolved StarS (MESS) program with the VLTI MID infrared Interferometric instrument (MIDI). The program aims at providing insight to the atmospheres of those stars, to be able to understand the role of the mass-loss process at different spatial scales. We obtained visibilities and spectra of fourteen objects with different chemistries and variability classes. These observations, together with data we retrieved from the archive, allow us to characterize not only the geometry of the dust forming region, but in some cases also the time variability in the N band. As previously reported in the literature, we confirm the detection of spectroscopic but not interferometric variability. This result has implications on the size of the structures involved in the dust-formation process. We also report two cases of asymmetric structures; the nature of these structures will be clearly identified only with the second generation VLTI instrument MATISSE.

Author

C. Paladini

D. Klotz

M. Wittkowski

J. Hron

A. Richichi

E. Lagadec

T. Verhoelst

G. Rau

S. Sacuto

A. Jorissen

M. A. T. Groenewegen

Hans Olofsson

Chalmers, Earth and Space Sciences, Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics

F. Kerschbaum

Conference on Why Galaxies Care About AGB Stars III: A Closer Look in Space and Time, Vienna, Austria, JUL 28-AUG 01, 2014

Vol. 497 97-102
978-1-58381-879-4 (ISBN)

Subject Categories

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

ISBN

978-1-58381-879-4

More information

Created

10/8/2017