Mass Loss and Cepheid Pulsation

Abstract

AbstractThis paper serves two purposes: 1) to discuss the latest improvements in nonlinear pulsation theory indicating the ability to resolve features such as the “Christy bump” on the light curves and 2) to show from the results of a bump model and recent observations that mass loss is one of the possible explanations for the mass discrepancy problem between evolutionary and pulsation theories. Recent observations by Sanford and Gow of Los Alamos and Bernat (McDonald Observatory) show that extensive mass loss has occurred in the evolution of the M supergiant α Orionis.