Effects of mass loss on the evolution of massive stars. I - Main-sequence evolution

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (31) References (14) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Effects of mass loss on the evolution of massive stars. I. Main-sequence evolution. Dearborn, D. S. P. ; Blake, J. B. ; Hainebach, K. L. ; Schramm, D. N. Abstract The effects of mass loss on the evolution and surface composition of massive stars during main-sequence evolution are examined. While some details of the evolutionary track depend on the formula used for the mass loss, the results appear most sensitive to the total mass removed during the main-sequence lifetime. It was found that low mass-loss rates have very little effect on the evolution of a star; the track is slightly subluminous, but the lifetime is almost unaffected. High rates of mass loss lead to a hot, high-luminosity stellar model with a helium core surrounded by a hydrogen-deficient envelope. The main-sequence lifetime is extended by a factor of 2-3. These models may be identified with Wolf-Rayet stars. Between these mass-loss extremes are intermediate models which appear as OBN stars on the main sequence. It is found that observationally consistent mass-loss rates for stars of at least 30 solar masses may be sufficiently high that these stars lose mass on a time scale more rapidly than their main-sequence core evolution time. This result implies that the helium cores resulting from the main-sequence evolution of these massive stars may all be very similar to that of a star of around 30 solar masses regardless of the zero-age mass. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: July 1978 DOI: 10.1086/156290 Bibcode: 1978ApJ...223..552D Keywords: Main Sequence Stars; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Mass Ejection; Stellar Structure; Abundance; Cn Emission; Stellar Models; Wolf-Rayet Stars; Astrophysics; Evolution:Massive Stars; Mass Loss:Stellar Evolution full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)