Mass loss and fate of the most massive stars
Abstract
The fate of massive stars up to 300M ⊙ is highly uncertain. Do these objects produce pair-instability explosions, or normal Type Ic supernovae? In order to address these questions, we need to know their mass-loss rates during their lives. Here we present mass-loss predictions for very massive stars (VMS) in the range of 60-300M ⊙. We use a novel method that simultaneously predicts the wind terminal velocities v ∞ and mass-loss rate Ṁ as a function of the stellar parameters: (i) luminosity/mass Γ, (ii) metallicity Z, and (iii) effective temperature T eff. Using our results, we evaluate the likely outcomes for the most massive stars.
- Publication:
-
Death of Massive Stars: Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts
- Pub Date:
- September 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921312012641
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1209.5928
- Bibcode:
- 2012IAUS..279...29V
- Keywords:
-
- stars: mass loss;
- stars: evolution;
- stars: Wolf-Rayet;
- supernovae: general;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Galaxy Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 2 figures. IAUS 279: Death of Massive Stars: Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts