Document Stars and Nuclei: A Tribute to Manuel Forestini
T. Montmerle and C. Kahane (eds)
EAS Publications Series, 19 (2006) 103-124
DOI: 10.1051/eas:2006028
Evolution of massive AGB stars
L. SiessInstitut d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 226, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Abstract
The evolution of stars in the mass range 7-12 
is characterized by
the off-center ignition of carbon in condition of partially degeneracy
followed by the propagation of a convectively bound flame and the formation
of a neon-oxygen core. In this chapter, we review the evolutionary
features of these peculiar stars and pay a special attention to the
thermally pulsing super-AGB phase and associated nucleosynthesis. The
evolution toward electron capture supernovae for the most massive members
of this class is briefly mentioned. In light of new computations, we also
discuss the question of
Mup, the critical mass above which carbon ignites
as well as
Mn, the minimum mass for the formation of a neutron star and
analyze the dependence of these transition masses on metallicity.
© EAS, EDP Sciences 2006