Yazan Momany
European Southern Observatory

Abstract
Low-mass stars can lose a quite significant portion of their mass during their red giant branch ascent. This affects the successive evolution of the stars. A recent Spitzer investigation of 47Tuc has suggested that Mass Loss along the giant branch is not limited to the tip level (as in the Reimers law) but rather is an extended process affecting stars as faint as the horizontal branch level. In this talk I will present a recent VISIR@VLT investigation addressing this issue. We find evidence supporting the classical Reimers formulation, limiting the mass-loss to the brightest giant stars.

10 April 2012, 13:30

Centro de Astrofísica
Rua das Estrelas
4150-762 Porto