Heavy elements in planetary nebulae: A theorist's gold mine

Amanda I. Karakas*, Maria Lugaro

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    Abstract

    Observations of planetary nebulae have revealed a wealth of information about the composition of heavy elements synthesized by the slow neutron capture process (the s process). In some of these nebulae the abundances of neutron-capture elements are enriched by factors of 10 to 30 times the solar value, indicating that these elements were produced in the progenitor star while it was on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). In this proceedings we summarize results of our recent full s-process network predictions covering a wide range of progenitor masses and metallicities. We compare our model predictions to observations and show how this can provide important insights into nucleosynthesis processes occurring deep within AGB stars.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationPlanetary Nebulae
    Subtitle of host publicationAn Eye to the Future
    EditorsArturo Manchado, Letizia Stanghellini, Detlef Schonberner
    Pages127-130
    Number of pages4
    EditionS283
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 2011

    Publication series

    NameProceedings of the International Astronomical Union
    NumberS283
    Volume7
    ISSN (Print)1743-9213
    ISSN (Electronic)1743-9221

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Heavy elements in planetary nebulae: A theorist's gold mine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this