Bibcode
Lugaro, M.; Campbell, S. W.; D'Orazi, V.; Karakas, A. I.; Garcia-Hernandez, D. A.; Stancliffe, R. J.; Tagliente, G.; Iliadis, C.; Rauscher, T.
Bibliographical reference
Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 665, Issue 1, article id. 012021 (2016).
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2016
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Description
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are a main site of production of
nuclei heavier than iron via the s process. In massive (>4 M⊙)
AGB stars the operation of the 22Ne neutron source appears to
be confirmed by observations of high Rb enhancements, while the lack of
Tc in these stars rules out 13C as a main source of neutrons.
The problem is that the Rb enhancements are not accompanied by Zr
enhancements, as expected by s-process models. This discrepancy may be
solved via a better understanding of the complex atmospheres of AGB
stars. Second- generation stars in globular clusters (GCs), on the other
hand, do not show enhancements in any s-process elements, not even Rb.
If massive AGB stars are responsible for the composition of these GC
stars, they may have evolved differently in GCs than in the field. In
AGB stars of lower masses, 13C is the main source of neutrons
and we can potentially constrain the effects of rotation and
proton-ingestion episodes using the observed composition of post-AGB
stars and of stardust SiC grains. Furthermore, independent
asteroseismology observations of the rotational velocities of the cores
of red giants and of white dwarves will play a fundamental role in
helping us to better constrain the effect of rotation. Observations of
carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars enriched in both Ba and Eu may require
a neutron flux in-between the s and the r process, while the puzzling
increase of Ba as function of the age in open clusters, not accompanied
by increase in any other element heavier than iron, require further
observational efforts. Finally, stardust SiC provides us high-precision
constraints to test nuclear inputs such as neutron-capture cross
sections of stable and unstable isotopes and the impact of excited
nuclear states in stellar environments.