Why Galaxies Care about AGB Stars: Setting the Stage

TL;DR

This paper discusses the complexities of AGB star evolution, emphasizing the interconnected physical processes involved, and highlights the significance of globular clusters as new opportunities for understanding AGB stars.

Contribution

It introduces the challenges in modeling AGB star evolution and explores how globular clusters serve as a new frontier for studying these stars.

Findings

AGB phase involves complex, interconnected physical processes.

Globular clusters offer new insights into AGB star evolution.

Abstract

In this introduction to the Third Congress of Vienna on AGB stars I first try to highlight why it is so hard to cope with the AGB evolutionary phase. This phase is indeed dominated by three main physical processes concerning bulk motions of matter inside/around stars, namely envelope convection, mixing and mass loss. They are inextricably interlaced with each other in a circular sequence of reactions and counter-reactions which has so far undermined our attempts at calibrating such processes one independent of the other. The second part of this introduction is focused on Globular Clusters, illustrating how they came to be a {\it new frontier} for the AGB evolution and a new opportunity to understand it.