News on deep mixing

John C. Lattanzio, Davis S.P. Dearborn, Peter P. Eggleton

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference PaperResearchpeer-review

Abstract

We briefly summarize the abundant observational evidence for the need of a "deep mixing" mechanism in first-ascent red-giant stars, and probably in AGB stars as well. By the term "deep mixing" we mean some mixing mechanism which operates in the radiative zone below the convective envelope, and which transports material from the convective region to hotter regions, near the top of the hydrogen shell, where nuclear burning may take place. We then discuss a recent discovery of deep-mixing caused by the burning of 3He following first dredge-up in low-mass stars. This is expected to be a thermohaline process and preliminary calculations show that it has many of the properties required to explain the observations.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNinth Torino Workshop on Evolution and Nucleosynthesis in AGB Stars and the Second Perugia Workshop on Nuclear Astrophysics
Pages279-286
Number of pages8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2008
Event9th Torino Workshop on Evolution and Nucleosynthesis in AGB Stars and the 2nd Perugia Workshop on Nuclear Astrophysics - Perugia, Italy
Duration: 21 Oct 200727 Oct 2007

Publication series

NameAIP Conference Proceedings
Volume1001
ISSN (Print)0094-243X
ISSN (Electronic)1551-7616

Conference

Conference9th Torino Workshop on Evolution and Nucleosynthesis in AGB Stars and the 2nd Perugia Workshop on Nuclear Astrophysics
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityPerugia
Period21/10/0727/10/07

Keywords

  • Abundances
  • Giant Stars
  • Mixing

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