Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 11:00 am, Pratt Conference Room
Dusty Post-AGBs: Chemistry, Morphology and the Evolutionary March to Planetary Nebulae
Alexa Hart (CfA)
| Intermediate-mass stars form dense and dynamic circumstellar envelopes at the end of their stellar lives. These envelopes can be dramatically complex, with dusty waist formations, collimated jets and wind-blown polar cavities. The origin of these structures is poorly understood. The chemistry in these envelopes also holds many surprises, pointing to the presence of stable, dusty reservoirs and the coexistence of Oxygen and Carbon-rich dust species. I will present the most recent results of my thesis work to characterize the dust formation and evolution around these stars using several IR spectral features that are predicted to evolve as the post-AGB phase unfolds, many of which can be used as tracers of circumstellar structure. |
