Bengt Gustafsson, Nils Ryde
Published 1996-10-31Version 1
The role of carbon stars in the build-up of chemical elements in galaxies is discussed on the basis of stellar evolution calculations and estimated stellar yields, abundance analyses of AGB stars, galactic-evolution models and abundance trends among solar-type disk stars. We conclude that the AGB stars in general, and carbon stars in particular, probably are main contributors of $s$-elements, that their contributions of flourine and carbon are quite significant, and that possibly their contributions of lithium, $^{13}$C and $^{22}$Ne are of some importance. Also contributions of N, Na and Al are discussed. The major uncertainties that characterize almost any statement concerning these issues are underlined.
Comments: 16 pages, LaTex, no figures, Invited Review at the IAU Symposium 177 ``The Carbon Star Phenomenon", to be published in the proceedings. LaTeX and postscript files also available at ftp.astro.uu.se/pub/articles/atmos/P107
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