Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T05:40:49.236Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Eruptive outflow phases of massive stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2011

Nathan Smith
Nathan Smith*
Affiliation:
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

I review recent progress on understanding eruptions of unstable massive stars, with particular attention to the diversity of observed behavior in extragalatic optical transient sources that are generally associated with giant eruptions of luminous blue variables (LBVs). These eruptions are thought to represent key mass loss episodes in the lives of massive stars. I discuss the possibility of dormant LBVs and implications for the duration of the greater LBV phase and its role in stellar evolution. These eruptive variables show a wide range of peak luminosity, decay time, expansion speeds, and progenitor luminosity, and in some cases they have been observed to suffer multiple eruptions. This broadens our view of massive star eruptions compared to prototypical sources like Eta Carinae, and provides important clues for the nature of the outbursts. I will also review and discuss some implications about the possible physical mechanisms involved, although the cause of the eruptions is not yet understood.

Keywords

instabilitiescircumstellar matterstars: evolutionstars: mass losssupernovae: generalstars: windsoutflows
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 6 , Symposium S272: Active OB stars: structure, evolution, mass loss, and critical limits , July 2010 , pp. 571 - 580
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

References

Bohannan, B. 1997, in: Nota, A. & Lamers, H. (eds.), Luminous Blue Variables: Massive Stars in Transition, ASP-CS 120, p. 3Google Scholar
Conti, P. S. 1995, in: van der, K. A. Hucht & Williams, P. M. (eds.), Wolf-Rayet Stars: Binaries; Colliding Winds; Evolution, IAU Symposium 163, p. 565CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conti, P. S. 1997, in: Nota, A. & Lamers, H. (eds.), Luminous Blue Variables: Massive Stars in Transition, ASP-CS 120, p. 387Google Scholar
Drake, A. J., Prieto, J. L., Djorgovski, S. G., Mahabal, A. A. et al. 2010, The Astronomer's Telegram, 2897Google Scholar
Gal-Yam, A. & Leonard, D. C. 2009, Nature, 458, 865CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gogarten, S. M., Dalcanton, J. J., Murphy, J. W., Williams, B. F. et al. 2009, ApJ, 703, 300CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gvaramadze, V. V., Kniazev, A. Y., & Fabrika, S. 2010, MNRAS, 405, 1047Google Scholar
Hubble, E. & Sandage, A. 1953, ApJ, 118, 353CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphreys, R. M. & Davidson, K. 1994, PASP, 106, 1025CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphreys, R. M., Davidson, K., & Smith, N. 1999, PASP, 111, 1124CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Massey, P., McNeill, R. T., Olsen, K. A. G., Hodge, P. W. et al. 2007, AJ, 134, 2474CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pastorello, A., Botticella, M. T., Trundle, C., Taubenberger, S. et al. 2010, MNRAS 408, 181CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prieto, J. L., Kistler, M. D., Thompson, T. A., Yüksel, H. et al. 2008, ApJ (Letters), 681, L9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prieto, J. L., Sellgren, K., Thompson, T. A., & Kochanek, C. S. 2009, ApJ, 705, 1425CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N. 2008, Nature, 455, 201CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N. 2010, MNRAS, submitted, arXiv:1010.3770Google Scholar
Smith, N. & Conti, P. S. 2008, ApJ, 679, 1467CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N. & Frew, D. J. 2010, ArXiv e-prints 1010.3719Google Scholar
Smith, N., Hinkle, K. H., & Ryde, N. 2009, AJ, 137, 3558CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N. & Owocki, S. P. 2006, ApJ (Letters), 645, L45CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N., Vink, J. S., & de Koter, A. 2004, ApJ, 615, 475CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N., Li, W., Foley, R. J., Wheeler, J. C. et al. 2007, ApJ, 666, 1116CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N., Chornock, R., Li, W., Ganeshalingam, M. et al. 2008, ApJ, 686, 467CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N., Li, W., Silverman, J., Ganeshalingam, M., & Filippenko, A. 2010a, MNRAS, submitted, arXiv:1010.3718Google Scholar
Smith, N., Miller, A., Li, W., Filippenko, A. V. et al. 2010b, AJ, 139, 1451CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, N., Li, W., Filippenko, A. V., & Chornock, R. 2010c, MNRAS, in press, arXiv:1006:3899Google Scholar
Thompson, T. A., Prieto, J. L., Stanek, K. Z., Kistler, M. D. et al. 2009, ApJ, 705, 1364CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wachter, S., Mauerhan, J. C., Van Dyk, S. D., Hoard, D. W. et al. 2010, AJ, 139, 2330CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagner, R. M., Vrba, F. J.; Henden, A. A., Canzian, B. et al. 2004, PASP, 116, 326CrossRefGoogle Scholar