Mass-Losing AGB Stars in the Magellanic Clouds

Extract

Asymptotic giant branch stars are the immediate precursors to the planetary nebula stage of stellar evolution. It is clear that the latter stages of a stars life on the AGB are accompanied by either continuous or episodic mass-loss, with the final convulsion being the ejection of the envelope (the future planetary shell), the gradual exposure of the bare CO core and the rapid horizontal evolution to the blue in the H-R diagram. Thus, the structure of the planetary nebula luminosity function, particularly at the higher luminosities (although this phase is extremely rapid), is intimately tied to the luminosity function of the AGB.