Modelling the mass loss of cool AGB stars

P. Woitke

IAU Symposium No. 210: "Modelling of Stellar Atmospheres" (2002)

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Abstract:

The current status of modelling the wind driving mechanism of AGB stars is reviewed. Our present understanding of these winds is substantially guided by spherically symmetric, time-dependent models which reveal a complex interplay between stellar pulsation, hydrodynamics, small-scale waves, chemistry, dust formation and radiative transfer. The level of approximation used for the physical description of the various processes, and the degree of consistence in the models are crucial and different approaches lead to rather different results. Beside reviewing the frontiers of the present theoretical research on AGB star winds, this paper presents some new results concerning the cooling of the gas behind propagating shock waves in the outer atmosphere and the self-organisation of dust-forming gases (cloud formation) caused by a radiative/thermal instability of dust forming gases.