ejaavso195

eJAAVSO  

Variable Stars and the Asymptotic Giant Branch: Stellar Pulsations, Dust Production, and Mass Loss

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Angela K. Speck

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211

Presented at the 100th Spring Meeting of the AAVSO, May 23, 2011; received February 17, 2012; revised March 26, 2012; accepted May 11, 2012

Abstract

Low- and intermediate-mass stars (1–8 MÄ; LIMS) are very important contributors of material to the interstellar medium (ISM), and yet the mechanisms by which this matter is expelled remain a mystery. In this paper we discuss how interferometry plays a role in studying the interplay between pulsation, mass loss, dust formation and evolution of these LIMS.