Study of the inner dust envelope and stellar photosphere of the AGB star R Doradus using SPHERE/ZIMPOL

Abstract

Context. On the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) low- and intermediate-mass stars eject a large fraction of their envelope, but the mechanism driving these outflows is still poorly understood. For oxygen-rich AGB stars, the wind is thought to be driven by radiation pressure caused by scattering of radiation off dust grains.