Variable Mass-loss Rate Research Articles

Optimization of parameters for vacuum heat modification of Cupressus funebris wood

A full factorial experiment was conducted to analyze the main and interaction effects on the physical and mechanical properties of Cupressus funebris Endl. wood subjected to vacuum heat modification. The response variables evaluated were mass loss rate (ML, %), moisture resistance (MR, %), and modulus of rupture in bending (MOR, MPa). The results reveal significant variations in the effects of modification time, holding temperature, and vacuum pressure as independent factors, along with varying degrees of interaction effects among them. Simplifying the analysis model, a regression equation was derived to describe the relationship between the response variable (mass loss rate) and the factors: The model achieved an R-squared value of 96.0% and an R-squared (predicted) value of 73.7%, indicating good overall predictive performance. Optimal process parameters for mid-temperature vacuum heat modification of cypress were determined based on the mass loss rate and modulus of rupture (MOR), resulting in a modification temperature of 120 °C, holding time of 5 h, and a pressure intensity of 0.1. The reliability of the full factorial experiment was further confirmed through orthogonal testing.

Water masers high resolution measurements of the diverse conditions in evolved star winds

AbstractWe compare detailed observations of multiple H2O maser transitions around the red supergiant star VY CMa with models to constrain the physical conditions in the complex outflows. The temperature profile is consistent with a variable mass loss rate but the masers are mostly concentrated in dense clumps. High-excitation lines trace localised outflows near the star.

Chandra revisits WR 48a: testing colliding wind models in massive binaries

ABSTRACT We present results of new Chandra High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) observations (2019 November–December) of the massive Wolf–Rayet binary WR 48a. Analysis of these high-quality data showed that the spectral lines in this massive binary are broadened (full width at half-maximum, FWHM = 1400 km s−1) and marginally blueshifted (∼−100 km s−1). A direct modelling of these high-resolution spectra in the framework of the standard colliding stellar wind (CSW) picture provided a very good correspondence between the shape of the theoretical and observed spectra. Also, the theoretical line profiles are in most cases an acceptable representation of the observed ones. We applied the CSW model to the X-ray spectra of WR 48a from previous observations: Chandra-HETG (2012 October) and XMM–Newton (2008 January). From this expanded analysis, we find that the observed X-ray emission from WR 48a is variable on the long time-scale (years) and the same is valid for its intrinsic X-ray emission. This requires variable mass-loss rates over the binary orbital period. The X-ray absorption (in excess of that from the stellar winds in the binary) is variable as well. We note that lower intrinsic X-ray emission is accompanied by higher X-ray absorption. A qualitative explanation could be that the presence of clumpy and non-spherically symmetric stellar winds may play a role.

IPTF14hls as a variable hyper-wind from a very massive star

Abstract The origin of iPTF14hls, which had Type IIP supernova-like spectra but kept bright for almost two years with little spectral evolution, is still unclear. We here propose that iPTF14hls was not a sudden outburst like supernovae but rather a long-term outflow similar to stellar winds. The properties of iPTF14hls, which are at odds with a supernova scenario, become natural when interpreted as a stellar wind with variable mass-loss rate. Based on the wind hypothesis, we estimate the mass-loss rates of iPTF14hls in the bright phase. We find that the instantaneous mass-loss rate of iPTF14hls during the 2-year bright phase was more than a few M⊙ yr−1 (“hyper-wind”) and it reached as much as 10 M⊙ yr−1 . The total mass lost over two years was about 10 M⊙. Interestingly, we find that the light curve of iPTF14hls has a very similar shape to that of η Carinae during the Great Eruption, which also experienced a similar but less extreme brightening accompanied by extraordinary mass loss, shedding more than 10 M⊙ in 10 years. The progenitor of iPTF14hls is less than 150 M⊙ if it still exists, which is similar to η Carinae. The two phenomena may be related to a continuum-driven extreme wind from very massive stars.

Preface

Stellar mass loss is now widely recognized to have a significant impact on stellar evolution. Mass loss on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) allows stars with initial masses under 8 solar masses to avoid the fate of going supernovae. Over 95% of stars in our Galaxy will evolve through the planetary nebulae phase to end up as white dwarfs instead of neutron stars or black holes. Massive stars undergo mass loss both in the blue and red phases of evolution and create new classes of stars such as Wolf-Rayet stars and luminous blue variables. The circumstellar matter ejected by these mass loss processes becomes new laboratories to study the physical and chemical processes of interstellar matter. The interaction between different phases of mass loss (with variable mass loss rates, ejection speeds, and directions) leads to spectacular morphological transformation of the circumstellar nebulae. The circumstellar nebulae are also sites of molecular and solid-state synthesis. Close to 100 molecular species and a variety of solids, including minerals and complex organics, have been detected in circumstellar envelopes. Since the dynamical time scale of the ejection puts an upper limit on the chemical time scale, we are witnessing a rapid synthesis of chemical species in an extremely low-density environment, creating new challenges to our understanding of chemical reactions.Effects of mass loss are not limited to single stars. Mass loss by one component of a binary system allows mass transfer to occur at separations beyond the Roche Lobe limit. Accreted wind materials on the surface of a degenerate star can lead to periodic outbursts through H-shell burning. When both components are losing mass, we have interesting dynamical systems such as symbiotic novae.The theme of this conference is “Physics and Chemistry of the Late Stages of Stellar Evolution”. We try to bring together experts in different fields to exchange ideas in the hope of solving the many unsolved problems in the late stages of stellar evolution. The size of the conference was limited to about 100 participants to allow for sufficient time for discussions and personal exchanges of opinions. Although the conference is part of the Pacific Rim series, astronomers from Asia, Europe, North and South America participated in the conference. We hope that these proceedings will serve as a record of our current understanding of the late stages of stellar evolution and be a useful resource for future generation of scientists working in the field.

Interplay between pulsations and mass loss in the blue supergiant 55 Cygnus = HD 198 478

Blue supergiant stars are known to display photometric and spectroscopic variability that is suggested to be linked to stellar pulsations. Pulsational activity in massive stars strongly depends on the star's evolutionary stage and is assumed to be connected with mass-loss episodes, the appearance of macroturbulent line broadening, and the formation of clumps in the wind. To investigate a possible interplay between pulsations and mass-loss, we carried out an observational campaign of the supergiant 55 Cyg over a period of five years to search for photospheric activity and cyclic mass-loss variability in the stellar wind. We modeled the H, He I, Si II and Si III lines using the nonlocal thermal equilibrium atmosphere code FASTWIND and derived the photospheric and wind parameters. In addition, we searched for variability in the intensity and radial velocity of photospheric lines and performed a moment analysis of the line profiles to derive frequencies and amplitudes of the variations. The Halpha line varies with time in both intensity and shape, displaying various types of profiles: P Cygni, pure emission, almost complete absence, and double or multiple peaked. The star undergoes episodes of variable mass-loss rates that change by a factor of 1.7-2 on different timescales. We also observe changes in the ionization rate of Si II and determine a multiperiodic oscillation in the He I absorption lines, with periods ranging from a few hours to 22.5 days. We interpret the photospheric line variations in terms of oscillations in p-, g-, and strange modes. We suggest that these pulsations can lead to phases of enhanced mass loss. Furthermore, they can mislead the determination of the stellar rotation. We classify the star as a post-red supergiant, belonging to the group of alpha Cyg variables.

USING PHOTOMETRY TO PROBE THE CIRCUMSTELLAR ENVIRONMENT OF δ SCORPII

We acquired Johnson BV photometry of the binary Be disk system delta~Scorpii during its 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 observing seasons and used it to probe the innermost regions of the disk. We found that several disk building events have occurred during this time, resulting in an overall brightening in the V-band and reddening of the system. In addition to these long-term trends, we found cyclical variability in each observing season on timescales between 60 and 100 days. We were able to reproduce the changes in the magnitude and colour of delta Sco using our theoretical models and found that variable mass-loss rates in the range 2.5-7.0x10^{-9} M_{sun}/yr over ~35 days can reproduce the observed increase in brightness.

The influence of a variable mass loss rate on the dust and gas dynamics in the bow-shock ofα-Orionis

We present hydrodynamical simulations of the interaction between the stellar wind of α-Orionis and the interstellar gas. In particular we focus our efforts on reproducing the multiple arc structure of the bow-shock that was observed with Herschel. We do this by varying the mass loss rate of the star over a period of 10 000 years, representing the effect of thermal pulses.

Modelling of dust around the symbiotic Mira RR Telescopii during obscuration epochs

Context. Symbiotic Miras represent a class of peculiar binaries whose nature is still not well understood. Physical properties of the circumstellar dust and associated physical mechanisms play an important role in understanding the evolution of symbiotic binaries and the interaction between their components. We present a model of inner dust regions around the cool Mira component of the symbiotic nova RR Tel based on the near-IR terrestrial photometry and infrared ISO spectra. Aims. Our goal is to find a comprehensive and consistent model of the circumstellar inner dust regions around the Mira component that can explain the observed photometric and spectroscopic features in the near- and mid-infrared. Methods. Available JHKL photometric observations from South African Astronomical Observatory were collected and corrected for Mira pulsations as well as for interstellar reddening to follow temporal changes of the near-infrared colours. Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 1 to 13 μm during obscuration epoch were reconstructed with the simultaneously available ISO/SWS spectra and JHKL magnitudes. The dust properties were determined by modelling both the reconstructed SEDs and the near-IR colours using the DUSTY numerical code. This 1D code solves radiative transfer through the circumstellar dust by calculating the dust temperature profile assuming spherical symmetry. Results. The Mira pulsation period of 387 days was found and confirmed with two independent fitting methods. A long-term variation of ∼7000 days, which cannot be attributed to orbital motion, was obtained from the analysis of the near-IR magnitudes. Reconstructed infrared SEDs were modelled successfully by a single dust shell with dust distribution enhanced by radiatively driven stellar winds. Mira temperature, dust sublimation temperature, grain diameter, density distribution, and optical depth have been obtained. Our model shows a maximum dust grain diameter of 4 μm, which is larger than expected and can be explained by grain growth in conditions of increased mass loss during obscuration epochs. Obscurations in the near-IR can be understood as a result of change of the dust optical depth and of the mass loss rate of Mira component. Change of the dust temperature on the inner boundary of the dust shell with pulsation phase have been identified by SED modelling. Assuming a gas-to-dust ratio of 200, we found a variable mass loss rate between 2.3 and 9.0 ×10 −6 M� /yr and estimated the distance to RR Tel to be 2.7 kpc. Our results suggest a relatively low influence of

ON THE MAXIMUM MASS OF STELLAR BLACK HOLES

We present the spectrum of compact object masses: neutron stars and black holes that originate from single stars in different environments. In particular, we calculate the dependence of maximum black hole mass on metallicity and on some specific wind mass loss rates (e.g., Hurley et al. and Vink et al.). Our calculations show that the highest mass black holes observed in the Galaxy M_bh = 15 Msun in the high metallicity environment (Z=Zsun=0.02) can be explained with stellar models and the wind mass loss rates adopted here. To reach this result we had to set Luminous Blue Variable mass loss rates at the level of about 0.0001 Msun/yr and to employ metallicity dependent Wolf-Rayet winds. With such winds, calibrated on Galactic black hole mass measurements, the maximum black hole mass obtained for moderate metallicity (Z=0.3 Zsun=0.006) is M_bh,max = 30 Msun. This is a rather striking finding as the mass of the most massive known stellar black hole is M_bh = 23-34 Msun and, in fact, it is located in a small star forming galaxy with moderate metallicity. We find that in the very low (globular cluster-like) metallicity environment the maximum black hole mass can be as high as M_bh,max = 80 Msun (Z=0.01 Zsun=0.0002). It is interesting to note that X-ray luminosity from Eddington limited accretion onto an 80 Msun black hole is of the order of about 10^40 erg/s and is comparable to luminosities of some known ULXs. We emphasize that our results were obtained for single stars only and that binary interactions may alter these maximum black hole masses (e.g., accretion from a close companion). This is strictly a proof-of-principle study which demonstrates that stellar models can naturally explain even the most massive known stellar black holes.

A New Outburst in the Extraordinary Central Star of LMC-N66

This is the first report on the new outburst presented by the central star of the LMC-N66 nebula. This object was classified as a planetary nebula; however, its true nature is under debate. In the period 1955-1990 the central star was almost undetectable and only nebular emission lines were observed. In 1990, the beginning of an outburst was detected and in few months it became much brighter and developed wide He and N lines, typical of a Wolf-Rayet star of the N-sequence. The maximum occurred in 1994 and afterward the star slowly faded. Analysis of its evolution showed that it has a variable mass-loss rate which occasionally increases enormously, creating a false photosphere at a much larger radius, making it appear a few magnitudes brighter. The present outburst has occurred 13 years after the episode from 1994 to 2000. So far this new event has similar characteristics although there are some significant differences in the spectral features. We present optical and FUSE spectra showing the main properties of this latter event.

The remarkable light and colour variability of Small Magellanic Cloud Be stars

Aims. To test if the irregularly variable optical emission of hot stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud is due to variable amounts of Brehmstrahlung by ionized material in the circumstellar environment. The light curve variability of this sample of hot stars (∼200 objects) is described by Mennickent et al. (2002). Methods. (1) Probing the relation between flux excess in the optical and in the near-infrared J-band using EROS light curves (time span of 5 years) and 2MASS photometry; (2) analyzing the relation between colour and magnitude of the variability by means of an analytical, time-dependent model of emission from ionized material in an outflowing circumstellar disk. Results. (1) A correlation between optical and near-IR flux excess is found; (2) a bi-valued relation between excess colour and magnitude for ∼100 objects is discovered. It results in a loop structure in a colour–magnitude diagram. Significantly, this loop is traversed in a clockwise sense for ∼90% of the stars, and anti-clockwise for the remainder; (3) a simple analytical model of an outflowing disk and a variable mass loss rate is capable of reproducing observed light curves and the bi-valued colour–magnitude relation. Conclusions. The optical variability of a large fraction of the hot stars is due to variations in the amount of Brehmstrahlung. The circumstellar envelope can contribute up to 50% of the total optical flux. This variability can be interpreted as due to an outflowing ionized CS disk, that evolves into a ring structure. The observed bi-valued colour–magnitude relation is an optical depth effect at the various wavelengths of interest. The loop is traversed clockwise by outflowing matter, but anti-clockwise by infalling material. As the material is generally outflowing, the CS environment of the star is progressively cleared once the star stops losing mass. This study makes use of public OGLE, MACHO and 2MASS data.

Oxygen-rich AGB stars with optically thin dust envelopes

The dust composition and dynamics of the circumstellar envelopes of oxygen-rich AGB stars with low mass-loss rates (5 × 10 −8 -10 −5 Myr −1 ) have been investigated. We have analyzed the ISO-SWS spectra of twenty-eight oxygen-rich AGB stars with optically thin shells, and modelled the observations with the radiative transfer code DUSTY using the optical constants from laboratory dust analogues. This has allowed us to determine the composition of the dust and the physical conditions at the inner edge of the shell. Moreover, by comparing with CO observations available in the literature, we have determined the gas-to-dust mass ratios and the mass-loss rates of these sources, and analyzed the wind-driving mechanism. The results show that the small amounts of dust present in these envelopes, characterized by visual optical depths in the 0.03-0.6 range, are enough to drive the wind by radiation pressure on the grains. In some sources there are indications of circumstellar dust that does not contribute to the wind-driving, and that may distributed in a disk or clumps. Other sources show signs of variable mass-loss rates. A grain mixture in the shell consisting of aluminium oxide, melilite, olivine, spinel and Mg0.1Fe0.9 Ofi t the observed spectra well. From these species, only melilite is required to have a fractional abundance greater than 25% in all cases. Although spinel reproduces the 13 µm feature, the absence of the 16.8 µm peak in our SWS spectra casts doubts on this identification. The outcome of the modelling reveals that the olivine content in these CSEs increases with pressure and temperature at the inner edge. Moreover, the aluminium oxide percentage in the dust of the envelopes shows a positive correlation with the gas-to-dust mass ratio. These results, together with the derived dust compositions, are consistent with the thermodynamic dust condensation sequence scenario and its freezing-out due to kinetics. However, the temperatures at the inner edge of the shell are substantially lower than those predicted by theory.

Mass loss and rotational CO emission from Asymptotic Giant Branch stars

We present submillimeter observations of rotational transitions of carbon monoxide from J= 2! 1u p to 7! 6 for a sample of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars and red supergiants. It is the first time that the high transitions J = 6 ! 5 and 7! 6 are included in such a study. With line radiative transfer calculations, we aim to determine the mass-loss history of these stars by fitting the CO line intensities. We find that the observed line intensities of the high transitions, including the J= 4! 3 transition, are significantly lower than the predicted values. We conclude that the physical structure of the outflow of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars is more complex than previously thought. In order to understand the observed line intensities and profiles, a physical structure with a variable mass-loss rate and/or a gradient in stochastic gas velocity is required. A case study of the AGB star WX Psc is performed. We find that the CO line strengths may be explained by variations in mass-loss on time scales similar to those observed in the separated arc-like structures observed around post-AGB stars. In addition, a gradient in the stochastic velocity may play a role. Until this has been sorted out fully, any mass loss determinations based upon single CO lines will remain suspect.

Gasdynamics of Detached Shells Around Carbon Stars With Variable Mass Loss

Gasdynamic features of detached shells around carbon stars with variable mass loss rate are investigated in detail numerically. It is shown that a shell is unstable and also, 2D perturbations are less developed that 3D ones. The structure of perturbed flows corresponding to different evolution scenarios is compared. The results obtained seem to be promising for interpretation of observations, in particular, the recently obtained detailed data of TT Cyg.

Self-Similar Solutions for Hypersonic Source With Variable Mass Loss Rate

For the 1D radial hypersonic flow the development of the configuration with two shocks and contact discontinuity is considered. At small and large moments of time solutions in explicit form are found. As follows from these solutions the contact surface accelerates in time. This acceleration makes possible the Rayleigh-Taylor instability to develop. The 2D numerical investigation of the problem has confirmed the instability of the 1D solution.

Infrared giants vs. supergiants

We report systematic observations of millimeter CO emission from a sample of 109 oxygen–rich evolved stars (AGB and supergiants), colour–selected from the IRAS Point Source Catalog . CO has been searched with good sensitivity in 81 sources (74% of the sample). CO is detected in 54 sources and a significant upper limit has been achieved in 27 sources. In our previous paper we reported on the statistical results of these observations. We showed that in almost 50% of the sources, the ratio of the IRAS flux to CO intensity, , is larger by a factor of 3 to more than 10 than what is expected according to the correlation found by Nyman et al. (1992). Supergiants only exhibit very high values (≳ 200). In most cases, the observed spread in the values of this ratio can be explained by a large range of luminosities. This leads to a new criterion to identify AGB stars: an object with must have a low mass progenitor. Here we study the correlations between and various physical properties of the sources. Most sources with high values of also have low galactic latitudes, small IRAS variability indices, and early spectral types (typically M1–M5). Conversely, there is no dependence on the IRAS colours, nor on the intensity of silicate emission. However, a few AGB stars exhibit large ; other factors than luminosity are required to explain these values. Different hypotheses, such as the possible presence of a chromosphere, a low 12 C abundance or a variable mass–loss rate, are examined. Considering the global high OH detection rate , we studied the correlations with CO and OH emission. The detection of OH seems to be a useful discriminator of mechanisms that enhance .

Observations and Interpretation of Luminous Blue Variables

AbstractThe different types of variations of LBVs are discussed. The “typical LBV variations” have amplitudes of ΔV ≃ 0.5 to 2.0 magnitudes and irregular time-scales of months to years. This is due to changes in the stellar radius and the effective temperature. Modelling of this variability for one star, S Dor, shows that the radius of the star varies between 100 and 380 R⊙, the effective temperature between 20,000 and 9,000 K, and the luminosity between log L* = 6.10 to 5.9. The variation of the radius is not an apparent variation of the effective radius of the wind due to a variable mass loss rate (which has often been assumed) but it is a true variation of the radius of the star itself. The changes in L* suggest that about 10−3 to 10−2M* takes part in the expansion of the star. The irregular microvariations with amplitudes of about ΔV ≃ 0.2m on timescales of weeks are probably due to non-adiabatic pulsations with mode-interaction. We argue that LBVs are close to their effective Eddington Limit and discuss a qualitative scenario to explain their location in the HR-diagram.

On the wind geometry of the Wolf-Rayet star EZ Canis Majoris

Recent models of Wolf-Rayet star winds have been tailored to EZ CMa, and make predictions of the envelope structure and location of line-emitting regions. It is discussed how the wind structure of EZ CMa can be probed observationally through electron distribution integrals as measured by spectropolarimetry, and then present, analyze, and interpret a time-dependent spectropolarimetric data set of EZ CMa. The observations further the view of an electron-scattering wind that is axisymmetric, rotating, and expanding, with a variable mass-loss rate being responsible for the quasi-periodic polarimetric variability. It is demonstrated that the emission lines of EZ CMa are partially polarized, indicating that line photons are electron-scattered in the wind. The polarization in N V lambda 4945 and N IV lambda 4058 is observed to be larger than that of He II lambda 4686 and He I lambda 5876, as expected from ionization stratification.

Narrow components in the profiles of ultraviolet resonance lines - Evidence for a two-component stellar wind for O and B stars

The presence of narrow, shifted absorption features superposed on the wide P Cygni profiles of the UV resonance lines in the spectra of O and B stars is studied and possible explanations of the narrow components are discussed. Spectra from 26 stars of spectral types O4f to B1 Ib were examined for the presence of narrow components in the absorption part of the profiles, and positive evidence was detected in 17. The central velocities of the features are found to be similar for different ions of the same star, and typically equal to 0.75 times the terminal velocity of the stellar wind. The width of the narrow absorptions is about 18% of the terminal stellar wind velocity, with a column density generally not correlated with the effective temperature or mass loss rate. Possible explanations for the narrow components include peaks in the degree of ionization, a stationary stellar shell, a plateau in the stellar wind velocity law, a decelerating stellar wind, a variable mass loss rate or a two component stellar wind with low-velocity, low-density material found at a distance greater than 2 stellar radii, which explanation appears most likely.