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| Paper: |
Tails of Stellar Mass-Loss: VLA Imaging of
H I in Circumstellar Envelopes |
| Volume: |
445, Why Galaxies Care about AGB Stars II: Shining Examples and Common Inhabitants |
| Page: |
305 |
| Authors: |
Matthews, L. D.; Gérard, E.; Johnson, M. C.; Bertre, T. L.; Libert, Y.; Reid, M. J. |
| Abstract: |
Because neutral atomic hydrogen (H I)
is not destroyed by the interstellar
radiation field in circumstellar environments, its 21-cm line
transition can be used to trace circumstellar envelopes at
significantly larger distances from the star than molecular lines
(up to a parsec or more), thereby probing the stellar mass-loss
history over very extended time-scales. The H I
line also supplies unique
kinematic information on the interaction between the CSE and its
interstellar environment. During the past several years, our group
has been using the Very Large Array (VLA) to study the mass-loss
histories of evolved stars via their H I 21-cm
line emission. Here we highlight some recent results from our
on-going VLA surveys, including the discovery of
extended H I “tails,” shells, and other
structures associated with a number of well-known AGB stars.
We also describe how our results can be used
to place new constraints on mass-loss time-scales during the AGB,
as well as on the interplay between mass-losing stars and the
interstellar medium. |
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