Highest Angular Resolution Submillimeter Wave Images for the Carbon-rich Star R Lep

Learn about groundbreaking astronomical observations of the carbon-rich AGB star R Lep in this scientific presentation from the Joint ALMA Observatory. Explore detailed findings from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations in Bands 8-10, which achieved an unprecedented angular resolution of 5 mas. Discover how uniform disk fitting analysis revealed R Lep's diameter of 14-18 mas and examine the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) maser line observations at 890.8 GHz that showed a distinctive ring-like morphology. Understand the significance of these measurements, including how the submillimeter stellar radius compares to IR diameter measurements and what the HCN maser distribution reveals about the star's circumstellar envelope structure and wind-acceleration regions.