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Circumstellar Dust Shells: Clues To The Evolution Of R Coronae Borealis Stars, Edward Joseph Montiel
Circumstellar Dust Shells: Clues To The Evolution Of R Coronae Borealis Stars, Edward Joseph Montiel
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The existence of extended, cold dust envelopes surrounding R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars has been known about for over 30 years. RCB stars are an exotic group of extremely hydrogen-deficient, carbon-rich supergiants that are known for their spectacular declines in brightness (up to 8 mags) at irregular intervals. There are three possible origins of these envelopes: (1) they are fossil planetary nebulae (PNe), indicating that RCB stars formed via a final Helium-shell flash; (2) they are the remnant material from the merger of a CO and a He white dwarf binary, (3) they have been constructed from dust ejection events …