An observational study of dust nucleation in Mira (

Context. The formation of silicate dust in oxygen-rich envelopes of evolved stars is thought to be initiated by the formation of seed particles that can withstand the high temperatures close to the stellar photosphere and act as condensation cores farther away from the star. TiO and TiO2 are among the candidate species considered as first condensates. Aims. We aim to identify and characterize the circumstellar gas-phase chemistry of titanium that leads to the formation of solid titanium compounds in the envelope of o Ceti, the prototypical Mira, and seek an observational verification of whether titanium oxides play a major role in the onset of dust formation in M-type asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Methods. We present high angular resolution (145 mas) ALMA observations at submillimeter (submm) wavelengths supplemented by APEX and Herschel spectra of the rotational features of TiO and TiO2. In addition, circumstellar features of TiO and Ti