Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T21:37:05.592Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

19 - Chemical abundances

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2009

Sun Kwok
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
Get access

Summary

Progenitors of PN play an important role in the chemical enrichment of the Galaxy because He and significant amounts of C and N are produced by nucleosynthesis during the MS, RG, and AGB stages of their evolution. These elements are brought to the surface of the star by convection events called dredge ups (Iben, 1991). The first dredge up occurs in all stars on the RGB following the exhaustion of H in the core. Convection extending into the interior brings material processed in the CNO cycle to the surface. The second dredge-up occurs only in higher mass (≥3 M) stars during the early AGB phase and results in an increase in the surface abundance of 4 He and 14 N at the expense of 12 C and 16 O. The third dredge-up occurs on the AGB after each He-shell flash, resulting in He, C, and s-process elements being brought to the surface (Renzini and Voli, 1981). This repeated enhancement of C abundance in the stellar surface may in some stars bring the C/O ratio to be greater than unity. Since the less abundant of these two elements is completely tied up in the CO molecule, the photospheric spectrum of the star will change from O-based (e.g., TiO and VO) to C-based (e.g., C2 and CN), and a carbon star is created (see Section 10.2). Stellar winds during the AGB eject these elements from the stellar surface and therefore enrich the interstellar medium.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Chemical abundances
  • Sun Kwok, University of Calgary
  • Book: The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae
  • Online publication: 04 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511529504.020
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Chemical abundances
  • Sun Kwok, University of Calgary
  • Book: The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae
  • Online publication: 04 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511529504.020
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Chemical abundances
  • Sun Kwok, University of Calgary
  • Book: The Origin and Evolution of Planetary Nebulae
  • Online publication: 04 November 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511529504.020
Available formats
×