Wolf-Rayet stars: recent advances and persisting problems

Fuente: arXiv
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Autor principal: Shenar, Tomer
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2022
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author Shenar, Tomer
author_facet Shenar, Tomer
contents Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars comprise a class of stars whose spectra are dominated by strong, broad emission lines that are associated with copious mass loss. In the massive-star regime, roughly 90% of the known WR stars are thought to have evolved off the main sequence. Dubbed classical WR (cWR) stars, these hydrogen-depleted objects represent a crucial evolutionary phase preceding core collapse into black holes, and offer a unique window into hot-star wind physics. Their formation is thought to be rooted in either intrinsic mass-loss or binary interactions. Results obtained from analyses using contemporary model atmospheres still fail to reconcile the derived properties of WR stars with predictions from stellar evolution. Importantly, stellar evolution models cannot reproduce the the bulk of cWR stars, a problem that becomes especially severe at subsolar metallicity. Next-generation model atmospheres and upcoming observational campaigns to hunt for undetected companions promise a venue for progress.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2208_02614
institution arXiv
publishDate 2022
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Wolf-Rayet stars: recent advances and persisting problems
Shenar, Tomer
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars comprise a class of stars whose spectra are dominated by strong, broad emission lines that are associated with copious mass loss. In the massive-star regime, roughly 90% of the known WR stars are thought to have evolved off the main sequence. Dubbed classical WR (cWR) stars, these hydrogen-depleted objects represent a crucial evolutionary phase preceding core collapse into black holes, and offer a unique window into hot-star wind physics. Their formation is thought to be rooted in either intrinsic mass-loss or binary interactions. Results obtained from analyses using contemporary model atmospheres still fail to reconcile the derived properties of WR stars with predictions from stellar evolution. Importantly, stellar evolution models cannot reproduce the the bulk of cWR stars, a problem that becomes especially severe at subsolar metallicity. Next-generation model atmospheres and upcoming observational campaigns to hunt for undetected companions promise a venue for progress.
title Wolf-Rayet stars: recent advances and persisting problems
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.02614