scholarly journals X-ray diagnostics of massive star winds

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 151-155
Author(s):  
L. M. Oskinova ◽  
R. Ignace ◽  
D. P. Huenemoerder

AbstractObservations with powerful X-ray telescopes, such as XMM-Newton and Chandra, significantly advance our understanding of massive stars. Nearly all early-type stars are X-ray sources. Studies of their X-ray emission provide important diagnostics of stellar winds. High-resolution X-ray spectra of O-type stars are well explained when stellar wind clumping is taking into account, providing further support to a modern picture of stellar winds as non-stationary, inhomogeneous outflows. X-ray variability is detected from such winds, on time scales likely associated with stellar rotation. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates that the winds of late O-type stars are predominantly in a hot phase. Consequently, X-rays provide the best observational window to study these winds. X-ray spectroscopy of evolved, Wolf-Rayet type, stars allows to probe their powerful metal enhanced winds, while the mechanisms responsible for the X-ray emission of these stars are not yet understood.

1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 224-225
Author(s):  
S. Tanaka ◽  
S. Kitamoto ◽  
T. Suzuki ◽  
K. Torii ◽  
M.F. Corcoran ◽  
...  

X-rays from early-type stars are emitted by the corona or the stellar wind. The materials in the surface layer of early-type stars are not contaminated by nuclear reactions in the stellar inside. Therefore, abundance study of the early-type stars provides us an information of the abundances of the original gas. However, the X-ray observations indicate low-metallicity, which is about 0.3 times of cosmic abundances. This fact raises the problem on the cosmic abundances.


1980 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 541-547
Author(s):  
H. F. Henrichs

A number of massive stars of early type is found in X-ray binary systems. The catalog of Bradt et al. (1979) contains 21 sources optically identified with massive stars ranging in spectral type from 06 to B5 out of which 13 are (nearly) unevolved stars and 8 are supergiants. Single stars of this type generally show moderate to strong stellar winds. The X-rays in these binaries originate from accretion onto a compact companion (we restrict the discussion to this type of X-rays).We consider the compact star as a probe traveling through the stellar wind. This probe enables us to derive useful information about the mass outflow of massive stars.After presenting the basic data we derive an upper limit to mass loss rates of unevolved early type stars by studying X-ray pulsars. Next we consider theoretical predictions concerning the influence of X-rays on the stellar wind and compare these with the observations. Finally, using new data from IUE, we draw some conclusions about mass loss rates and velocity laws as derived from X-ray binaries.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S250) ◽  
pp. 355-360
Author(s):  
S. Jane Arthur

AbstractThroughout their lives massive stars modify their environment through their ionizing photons and strong stellar winds. Here, I present coupled radiation-hydrodynamic calculations of the evolution of the bubbles and nebulae surrounding massive stars. The evolution is followed from the main sequence through the Wolf-Rayet stage and shows that structures are formed in the ISM out to some tens of parsecs radius. Closer to the star, instabilities lead to the breakup of swept-up wind shells. The photoevaporated flows from the resulting clumps interact with the stellar wind from the central star, which leads to the production of soft X-rays. I examine the consequences for the different observable structures at all time and size scales and evaluate the impact that the massive star has on its environment.


1991 ◽  
Vol 143 ◽  
pp. 318-318
Author(s):  
I. Stevens ◽  
G. Cooper ◽  
S. Owocki

We report on a theoretical investigation of the X-rays observed from early type stars on the global wind dynamics.


1981 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 457-460
Author(s):  
G. Hammerschlag-Hensberge

AbstractHigh resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy of the early-type X-ray binary Vela X-l/HD 77581 provides a unique example to study the ionization structure of the stellar wind which varies under influence of the X-ray source. New results for other early-type X-ray binaries will be presented and compared with the Vela X-1 model. These results show that the observed variations strongly depend on the intensity of the X-ray source and on the density structure of the stellar wind.


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 101-104
Author(s):  
Fumiaki Nagase

Massive X-ray binary pulsars have often evolved early-type companion stars which emanate strong stellar winds. X-rays emitted from the accreting neutron star irradiate and ionize the surrounding stellar wind, thus forming a photoionized sphere surrounding the neutron star. The photoionization structure of matter surrounding the neutron star was calculated by Hatchett and McCray (1977) and McCray et al. (1984), for Cen X-3 and Vela X-1 respectively.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S250) ◽  
pp. 89-96
Author(s):  
D. John Hillier

AbstractThe standard theory of radiation driven winds has provided a useful framework to understand stellar winds arising from massive stars (O stars, Wolf-Rayet stars, and luminous blue variables). However, with new diagnostics, and advances in spectral modeling, deficiencies in our understanding of stellar winds have been thrust to the forefront of our research efforts. Spectroscopic observations and analyses have shown the importance of inhomogeneities in stellar winds, and revealed that there are fundamental discrepancies between predicted and theoretical mass-loss rates. For late O stars, spectroscopic analyses derive mass-loss rates significantly lower than predicted. For all O stars, observed X-ray fluxes are difficult to reproduce using standard shock theory, while observed X-ray profiles indicate lower mass-loss rates, the potential importance of porosity effects, and an origin surprisingly close to the stellar photosphere. In O stars with weak winds, X-rays play a crucial role in determining the ionization balance, and must be taken into account.


2000 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 344-347
Author(s):  
M. Pogodin

AbstractNew results of high-resolution spectroscopy of four pre-main sequence Ae/Be stars are presented. An analysis of parameters of lines originating in different regions of the circumstellar (CS) envelope (Hα, Hβ, He I 5876, DNal) allows to reconstruct a picture of the interaction between the star and the CS environment which can be displayed in different forms. At least two separate processes seem to impact the structural and kinematical properties of the envelope: the stellar wind from the stellar surface and the matter infall onto the star from the CS media. A possible relation between these two phenomena is discussed in the framework of different models. Some similarity between observational phenomena in Herbig Ae/Be and classical Be stars is noted in spite of their difference in evolutionary status.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 362-365
Author(s):  
Norbert S. Schulz

AbstractMost cores of very young stellar clusters contain one or more massive stars at various evolutionary stages. Observations of the Orion Nebula Cluster, Trumpler 37, NGC 2362, RCW38, NGC 3603 and many others provide the most comprehensive database to study stellar wind properties of these massive cluster stars in X-rays. In this presentation we review some of these observations and results and discuss them in the context of stellar winds and possible evolutionary implications. We argue that in very young clusters such as RCW38 and M17, shock heated remnants of a natal shell could serve as an alternate explanation to the colliding wind paradigm for the hot plasma components in the X-ray spectra.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S259) ◽  
pp. 449-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Petit ◽  
G. A. Wade ◽  
L. Drissen ◽  
T. Montmerle ◽  
E. Alecian

AbstractIn massive stars, magnetic fields are thought to confine the outflowing radiatively-driven wind, resulting in X-ray emission that is harder, more variable and more efficient than that produced by instability-generated shocks in non-magnetic winds. Although magnetic confinement of stellar winds has been shown to strongly modify the mass-loss and X-ray characteristics of massive OB stars, we lack a detailed understanding of the complex processes responsible. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between magnetism, stellar winds and X-ray emission of OB stars. In conjunction with a Chandra survey of the Orion Nebula Cluster, we carried out spectropolarimatric ESPaDOnS observations to determine the magnetic properties of massive OB stars of this cluster.


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