As low-and intermediate-mass stars reach the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), they have
developed into intriguing and complex objects that are major players in the cosmic gas/dust …

A multitude of phenomena—such as the chemical enrichment of the Universe, the mass
spectrum of planetary nebulae, white dwarfs and gravitational wave progenitors, the …

Chemical equilibrium has proven extremely useful for predicting the chemical composition of
AGB atmospheres. Here we use a recently developed code and an updated thermochemical …

This overview paper presents ATOMIUM, a Large Programme in Cycle 6 with the Atacama
Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The goal of ATOMIUM is to understand the …

Context. Water (H 2 O) and the hydroxyl radical (OH) are major constituents of the envelope
of O-rich late-type stars. Transitions involving energy levels that are rotationally or …

Context. Aluminium oxide (alumina; Al 2 O 3) is a promising candidate as a primary dust
condensate in the atmospheres of oxygen-rich evolved stars. Therefore, alumina …

Context. In recent years, high spatial resolution techniques have given valuable insights into
the complex atmospheres of AGB stars and their wind-forming regions. They make it …

Context. The condensation of inorganic dust grains in the winds of evolved stars is poorly
understood. As of today, it is not yet known which molecular clusters form the first dust grains …

Aims. Our recent visible polarimetric images of the well-studied AGB star W Hya taken at pre-
maximum light (phase 0.92) with VLT/SPHERE-ZIMPOL have revealed clumpy dust clouds …

Dust grains play a central role in the physics and chemistry of cosmic environments. They
influence the optical and thermal properties of the medium due to their interaction with stellar …