Mass Loss and Variability in Evolved Stars

TL;DR

This paper reviews how observations and models of mass loss and variability in evolved stars improve our understanding and modeling of stellar evolution and populations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge and methods used to constrain mass loss prescriptions in evolved stars.

Findings

Observations help refine mass loss models.

Models are essential for accurate stellar evolution predictions.

Understanding variability is key to mass loss processes.

Abstract

Mass loss and variability are two linked, fundamental properties of evolved stars. In this paper I review our current understanding of these processes, with a particular focus on how observations and models are used to constrain reliable mass loss prescriptions for stellar evolution and population synthesis models.