Thermohaline mixing in evolved low-mass stars

Abstract

Context. Thermohaline mixing has recently been proposed to occur in low-mass red giants, with large consequence for the chemical yields of low-mass stars. Aims. We investigate the role of thermohaline mixing during the evolution of stars between 1 M and 3 M , in comparison with other mixing processes acting in these stars. Methods. We use a stellar evolution code which includes rotational mixing, internal magnetic fields and thermohaline mixing. Results. We confirm that during the red giant stage, thermohaline mixing has the potential to decrease the abundance of 3He, which is produced earlier on the main sequence. In our models we find that this process is working on the RGB only in stars with initial mass M