Abstract
The evolved cool stars near the empirical upper luminosity boundary in the HR Diagram all show evidence for considerable instability perhaps due to their proximity to this stability limit and/or their evolutionary state. Recent high resolution imaging and spectroscopy of several of these stars have revealed a subset characterized by complex ejecta and evidence for episodic mass loss driven by convective activity and magnetic fields. This group includes famous stars such as the red supergiants VY CMa, NML Cyg and the post RSG IRC +10420. I will review the observational evidence and discuss the implications for the final stages of these evolved stars, their mass loss mechanism, and evolutionary state.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 111-118 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | S250 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2007 |
Keywords
- Stars: evolution
- Stars: magnetic fields
- Stars: mass loss