2010ApJ...723.1210A

We present the numerical simulations of winds from evolved giant stars using a fully nonlinear, time-dependent 2.5-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code. This study extends our previous fully nonlinear MHD wind simulations to include a broadband frequency spectrum of Alfvén waves that drive winds from red giant stars. We calculated four Alfvén wind models that cover the whole range of the Alfvén wave frequency spectrum to characterize the role of freely propagated and reflected Alfvén waves in the gravitationally stratified atmosphere of a late-type giant star. Our simulations demonstrate that, unlike linear Alfvén wave-driven wind models, a stellar wind model based on plasma acceleration due to broadband nonlinear Alfvén waves can consistently reproduce the wide range of observed radial velocity profiles of the winds, their terminal velocities, and the observed mass-loss rates. Comparison of the calculated mass-loss rates with the empirically determined mass-loss rate for α Tau suggests an anisotropic and time-dependent nature of stellar winds from evolved giants.