Observations of dusty torii and compact disks around evolved stars: the high spatial resolution IR view

TL;DR

This paper reviews high-resolution infrared observations revealing complex dusty environments like tori and disks around evolved stars, highlighting their diversity, formation, and evolution across different stellar phenomena.

Contribution

It delineates the differences between torus and disk classifications through extensive IR observations of various evolved star environments.

Findings

Disks are observed in bipolar nebulae, post-AGB stars, born-again stars, and novae.

High angular resolution IR observations reveal complex dusty structures.

Bipolar nebulae with disks are observed across diverse time scales.

Abstract

The recent high angular resolution observations have shown that the transition between a globally symmetrical giant and a source surrounded by a spatially complex environment occurs relatively early, as soon as the external layers of the stars are not tightly bound to the core of the star anymore. In this review, the emphasis will be put on the delineating the differences between the torus and disk classification through the presentation of many examples of near-IR and mid-IR high angular resolution observations. These examples cover the disks discovered in the core of some bipolar nebulae, post-AGB disks, the dusty environment around born-again stars and recent novae, and also the disks encountered around more massive evolved sources. We discuss the broad range of circumstances and time scales for which bipolar nebulae with disks are observed.