scholarly journals On the bipolarity of Wolf-Rayet nebulae

Author(s):  
D M-A Meyer

Abstract Wolf-Rayet stars are amongst the rarest but also most intriguing massive stars. Their extreme stellar winds induce famous multi-wavelength circumstellar gas nebulae of various morphologies, spanning from circles and rings to bipolar shapes. This study is devoted to the investigation of the formation of young, asymmetric Wolf-Rayet gas nebulae and we present a 2.5-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical toy model for the simulation of Wolf-Rayet gas nebulae generated by wind-wind interaction. Our method accounts for stellar wind asymmetries, rotation, magnetisation, evolution and mixing of materials. It is found that the morphology of the Wolf-Rayet nebulae of blue supergiant ancestors is tightly related to the wind geometry and to the stellar phase transition time interval, generating either a broadened peanut-like or a collimated jet-like gas nebula. Radiative transfer calculations of our Wolf-Rayet nebulae for dust infrared emission at $24\, \mu \rm m$ show that the projected diffuse emission can appear as oblate, bipolar, ellipsoidal or ring structures. Important projection effects are at work in shaping observed Wolf-Rayet nebulae. This might call a revision of the various classifications of Wolf-Rayet shells, which are mostly based on their observed shape. Particularly, our models question the possibility of producing pre-Wolf-Rayet wind asymmetries, responsible for bipolar nebulae like NGC 6888, within the single red supergiant evolution channel scenario. We propose that bipolar Wolf-Rayet nebulae can only be formed within the red supergiant scenario by multiple/merged massive stellar systems, or by single high-mass stars undergoing additional, e.g. blue supergiant, evolutionary stages prior to the Wolf-Rayet phase.

1999 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 751-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuo Fukui ◽  
Toshikazu Onishi ◽  
Rihei Abe ◽  
Akiko Kawamura ◽  
Kengo Tachihara ◽  
...  

Abstract We present extensive observations of the Carina arm region in the 2.6 mm CO (J = 1−0) emission with the NANTEN telescope in Chile. The observations have revealed 120 molecular clouds which are distributed in an area of 283° < l < 293° and 2° .5 < b < 10°. Because of its vertical elongation to the galactic plane, the clouds are named the Carina flare. H I and far-infrared emission show a cavity-like distribution corresponding to the molecular clouds, and soft X-ray emission appears to fill this cavity. It is shown that the Carina flare represents a supershell at a distance of a few kpc that has been produced by about 20 supernova explosions, or equivalent stellar winds of OB stars, over the last ∼ 2×107 yr. The supershell consisting of molecular and atomic neutral gas involves a total mass and kinetic energy of ≳ 3×105M⊙ and ≳ 3×1050 erg, respectively, and the originally injected energy required is about 100-times this current kinetic energy in the shell. It is unique among supershells known previously because of the following aspects: i) it exhibits evidence for the triggered formation of intermediate-to-high-mass stars and massive molecular clouds of 102 − 104M⊙, and ii) the massive molecular clouds formed are located unusually far above the galactic plane at z ∼ 100–500 pc.


1999 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 134-135
Author(s):  
Kerstin Weis ◽  
Wolfgang J. Duschl

Massive stars have strong stellar winds and consequently a high mass loss during their lifetimes. Therefore they can form ring nebulae by stellar winds sweeping up the ambient medium in the main sequence phase or through wind-wind interaction or eruptions in the evolved state. We present preliminary results of a search for single bubbles and ring-nebulae around massive stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S346) ◽  
pp. 17-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas A. C. Sander

AbstractUnderstanding the complex behavior of High Mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) is not possible without detailed information about their donor stars. While crucial, this turns out to be a challenge on multiple fronts. First, multi-wavelength spectroscopy is vital. As such systems can be highly absorbed, this is often already hard to accomplish. Secondly, even if the spectroscopic data is available, the determination of reliable stellar parameters requires sophisticated model atmospheres that accurately describe the outermost layers and the wind of the donor star.For early-type donors, the stellar wind is radiatively driven and there is a smooth transition between the outermost layers of the star and the wind. The intricate non-LTE conditions in the winds of hot stars complicate the situation even further, as proper model atmospheres need to account for a multitude of physics to accurately provide stellar and wind parameters. The latter are especially crucial for the so-called “wind-fed” HXMBs, where the captured wind of the supergiant donor is the only source for the material accreted by the compact object.In this review I will briefly address the different approaches for treating stellar winds in the analysis of HMXBs. The fundamentals of stellar atmosphere modeling will be discussed, also addressing the limitations of modern models. Examples from recent analysis results for particular HMXBs will be outlined. Furthermore, the path for the next generation of stellar atmosphere models will be outlined, where models can be used not only for measurement purposes, but also to make predictions and provide a laboratory for theoretical conclusions. Stellar atmospheres are a key tool in understanding HMXBs, e.g. by providing insights about the accretion of stellar winds onto the compact object, or by placing the studied systems in the correct evolutionary context in order to identify potential gravitational wave (GW) progenitors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 385-385
Author(s):  
Sopia Beradze ◽  
Nino Kochiashvili

AbstractThe size of a telescope determines goals and objects of observations. During the latest decades it becomes more and more difficult to get photometric data of bright stars because most of telescopes of small sizes do not operate already. But there are rather interesting questions connected to the properties and evolution ties between different types of massive stars. Multi-wavelength photometric data are needed for solution of some of them. We are presenting our observational plans of bright Massive X-ray binaries, WR and LBV stars using a small size telescope. All these stars, which are presented in the poster are observational targets of Sopia Beradze’s future PhD thesis. We already have got very interesting results on the reddening and possible future eruption of the massive hypergiant star P Cygni. Therefore, we decided to choose some additional interesting massive stars of different type for future observations. All Massive stars play an important role in the chemical evolution of galaxies because of they have very high mass loss - up to 10−4M⊙/a year. Our targets are on different evolutionary stages and three of them are the members of massive binaries. We plan to do UBVRI photometric observations of these stars using the 48 cm Cassegrain telescope of the Abastumani Astrophisical Observatory.


2003 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 751-752
Author(s):  
Lesley K. Summers ◽  
Ian R. Stevens ◽  
David K. Strickland ◽  
Timothy M. Heckman

We present an analysis of the Chandra observations of two dwarf starburst, Wolf-Rayet galaxies (NGC 4449 and NGC 5253). We have identified at least three different classes of objects within the X-ray point source populations, and we have found the diffuse emission, resulting from the stellar winds and supernova explosions of massive stars, to have a complex morphology and to consist of several components. Comparison with the Hα emission suggests the presence of ~ kpc-scale wind-blown bubbles and ruptured superbubbles.


Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. eabb3363
Author(s):  
James C. A. Miller-Jones ◽  
Arash Bahramian ◽  
Jerome A. Orosz ◽  
Ilya Mandel ◽  
Lijun Gou ◽  
...  

The evolution of massive stars is influenced by the mass lost to stellar winds over their lifetimes. These winds limit the masses of the stellar remnants (such as black holes) that the stars ultimately produce. We use radio astrometry to refine the distance to the black hole X-ray binary Cygnus X-1, which we find to be 2.22−0.17+0.18 kiloparsecs. When combined with archival optical data, this implies a black hole mass of 21.2 ± 2.2 solar masses, higher than previous measurements. The formation of such a high-mass black hole in a high-metallicity system (within the Milky Way) constrains wind mass loss from massive stars.


1986 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 475-479
Author(s):  
André Maeder

Several properties of massive star evolution are of great interest for the understanding of young populations in galaxies: -the genetic connections predicted by the models for the various types of massive stars allow us to understand their filiation; -in order to study the differences of the relative star frequencies in galaxies, we have to know which properties affect the lifetimes in the various evolutionary stages; -the composition of stellar winds is interesting to discuss the wind injections into the interstellar material, particularly the injections by Wolf-Rayet stars, and to discuss the influence of mass loss on nucleosynthesis and chemical yields. Here we shall briefly summarize some recent results on these various problems. For more details the reader may refer to general reviews (cf. Humphreys, 1984; Maeder, 1984a,b; Chiosi and Maeder, 1986).


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (S316) ◽  
pp. 175-176
Author(s):  
Chuan-Peng Zhang

AbstractN131 is an infrared dust bubble residing in a molecular filament. We aim to study the formation and fragmentation of this bubble with multi-wavelength dust and gas observations. Towards the bubble N131, we analyzed archival multi-wavelength observations including 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0, 24, 70, 160, 250, 350, 500 μm, 1.1 mm, and 21 cm. In addition, we performed new observations of CO (2-1), CO (1-0), and 13CO (1-0) with the IRAM 30-m telescope. Multi-wavelength dust and gas observations reveal a ringlike shell with compact fragments, two filamentary structures, and a secondary bubble N131-A. The bubble N131 is a rare object with a large hole at 24 μm and 21 cm in the direction of its center. The dust and gas clumps are compact and might have been compressed at the inner edge of the ringlike shell, while they are extended and might be pre-existing at the outer edge. The column density, excitation temperature, and velocity show a potentially hierarchical distribution from the inner to outer edge of the ringlike shell. We also detected the front and back sides of the secondary bubble N131-A in the direction of its center. The derived Lyman-continuum ionizing photon flux within N131-A is equivalent to an O9.5 star. Based on the above, we suggest that the bubble N131 might be triggered by the strong stellar winds from a group of massive stars inside the bubble. We propose a scenario in which the bubble N131 forms from the disruption of a gas filament by expansion of H II region, strong stellar winds, and fragments under self-gravity.


2004 ◽  
Vol 221 ◽  
pp. 141-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold W. Yorke

The collapse of massive molecular clumps can produce high mass stars, but the evolution is not simply a scaled-up version of low mass star formation. Outflows and radiative effects strongly hinder the formation of massive stars via accretion. A necessary condition for accretion growth of a hydrostatic object up to high masses M ≳ 20M⊙ (rather than coalescence of optically thick objects) is the formation of, and accretion through, a circumstellar disk. Once the central object has accreted approximately 10 M⊙ it has already evolved to core hydrogen-burning; the resultant main sequence star continues to accrete material as it begins to photoevaporate its circumstellar disk (and any nearby disks) on a timescale of ∼105 yr, similar to the accretion timescale. Until the disk(s) is (are) completely photoevaporated, this configuration is observable as an ultra-compact Hii region (UCHii). The final mass of the central star (and any nearby neighboring systems) is determined by the interplay between radiation acceleration, UV photoevaporation, stellar winds and outflows, and the accretion through the disk.Several aspects of this evolutionary sequence have been simulated numerically, resulting in a “proof of concept”. This scenario places strong constraints on the accretion rate necessary to produce high mass stars and offers an opportunity to test the accretion hypothesis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S356) ◽  
pp. 225-225
Author(s):  
Dalya Baron

AbstractIn this talk I will show that multi-wavelength observations can provide novel constraints on the properties of ionized gas outflows in AGN. I will present evidence that the infrared emission in active galaxies includes a contribution from dust which is mixed with the outflow and is heated by the AGN. We detect this infrared component in thousands of AGN for the first time, and use it to constrain the outflow location. By combining this with optical emission lines, we constrain the mass outflow rates and energetics in a sample of 234 type II AGN, the largest such sample to date. The key ingredient of our new outflow measurements is a novel method to estimate the electron density using the ionization parameter and location of the flow. The inferred electron densities, ∼104.5 cm−3, are two orders of magnitude larger than found in most other cases of ionized outflows. We argue that the discrepancy is due to the fact that the commonly-used [SII]-based method underestimates the true density by a large factor. As a result, the inferred mass outflow rates and kinetic coupling efficiencies are 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than previous estimates, and 3–4 orders of magnitude lower than the typical requirement in hydrodynamic cosmological simulations. These results have significant implications for the relative importance of ionized outflows feedback in this population.


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