The spectra of evolved stars at 20–25 GHz: Tracing circumstellar chemistry during the asymptotic giant branch to planetary nebula transition

We report an unbiased radio line survey towards the circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars at the frequency range from 20 to 25 GHz, aiming to obtain a more complete unbiased picture of the chemical evolution in the final stages of stellar evolution. The observation sample includes the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star IRC+10216, the proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs) CRL\,2688 and CRL\,618, and the young planetary nebula (PN) NGC\,7027, representing an evolutionary sequence spanning about 10,000 years. Rotational transitions from cyanopolyyne chains and inversion lines from ammonia are detected in the AGB star and PPNs, while the PN displays several recombination lines. The different spectral behaviors of these evolved stars clearly reflect the evolution of circumstellar chemistry during the AGB-PPN-PN transitions.