An X-ray study of mass-loss rate and wind acceleration of massive stars

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AbstractBy monitoring WC7 and the O5.5 binary WR 140 with the Suzaku telescope, we demonstrate a new method to measure the mass loss rates of both stars. By using the absorption column density, we found a mass-loss rate for the WC7 component: ṀWC7 ≈ 1.2 × 10−5 M⊙ yr−1. We also measured the mass-loss rate of the companion O component using a luminosity variation in phases: ṀO5.5 ≈ 5 × 10−7 M⊙ yr−1.