It is very well known that stars lose mass continually once they arrive at the Main Sequence. The Main Sequence (MS) is where stars live out most of their lives until the Hydrogen in the core is depleted and the star loses stability. From there on stars chaotically degrade until they explode liberating all the outer layers of matter into the Inter Stellar Medium. This process of mass loss in the MS is mainly do to stellar winds. Low-mass stars lose less mass this way than high-mass stars. As the star leaves the MS moving in the AGB phase the mass loss increases considerably.

This process of mass loss and the formation of molecules in the cooler regions of the star's expanding and evolving envelope can be studied through MASER emission. Maser emission is similar in nature to LASER emission except that instead of optical radiation is microwave.

Skills and Experience Required

Computational and maybe programming skills.

Contact Details

If you have questions or are interested in pursuing this research project, contact Victor Migenes for more information.