Related papers: The formation and evolution of very massive stars …
Supermassive black holes are a key ingredient of galaxy evolution. However, their origin is still highly debated. In one of the leading formation scenarios, a black hole of $\sim100$ M$_{\odot}$ results from the collapse of the inner core…
We investigate the fate of a collapsing stellar core, which is the final state of evolution of a massive, rotating star of a Wolf-Rayet type. Such stars explode as type I b/c supernovae, which have been observed in association with long…
The majority of massive stars are expected to exchange mass or merge with a companion during their lives. This immediately implies that most supernovae (SNe) are from such post-mass-exchange objects. Here, we explore how mass accretion and…
We investigate the physical processes which lead to the formation of massive stars. Using a numerical simulation of the formation of a stellar cluster from a turbulent molecular cloud, we evaluate the relevant contributions of fragmentation…
The study of core-collapse supernova remnants (SNRs) presents a fascinating puzzle, with intricate morphologies and a non-uniform distribution of stellar debris. Particularly, young remnants (aged less than 5000 years) hold immense value as…
Recent observations have detected top-heavy IMFs in dense star forming regions like the Arches cluster. Whether such IMFs also exist in old dense stellar systems like globular clusters is difficult to constrain, because massive stars…
Models aiming to explain the formation of massive black hole seeds, and in particular the direct collapse scenario, face substantial difficulties. These are rooted in rather ad hoc and fine-tuned initial conditions, such as the simultaneous…
We discuss the evolutionary properties of primordial massive and very massive stars, supposed to have formed from metal-free gas. Stellar models are presented over a large range of initial masses (8 Msun <= Mi <= 1000 Msun), covering the…
Black holes with masses $\approx 1\, M_{\odot}$ cannot be produced via stellar evolution. A popular scenario of their formation involves transmutation of neutron stars - by accumulation of dark matter triggering gravitational collapse in…
In this review I first summarize why binaries are key objects in the study of stellar populations, key objects to understand the evolution of star clusters, key objects to understand galaxies and thus the universe. I then focus on 4…
Dense star clusters expand until their sizes are limited by the tidal field of their host galaxy. During this expansion phase the member stars evolve and lose mass. We show that for clusters with short initial relaxation time scales (<~100…
Starburst galaxies are powered by massive stars. These stars dominate the heating and enrichment with heavy elements of the interstellar medium, gas out of which new stars form. Thus, high-mass stars, and in consequence starburst galaxies,…
Very massive stars (VMS) up to 200-300 $M_\odot$ have been found in the Local Universe. If they would lose little mass they produce intermediate-mass black holes or pair-instability supernovae (PISNe). Until now, VMS modellers have…
Massive binary evolution models are needed to predict massive star populations in star forming galaxies, the supernova diversity, and the number and properties of gravitational wave sources. Such models are often computed using so called…
In low-metallicity environments, massive stars might avoid supernova explosion and directly collapse, forming massive (~25-80 solar masses) stellar black holes (MSBHs), at the end of their life. MSBHs, when hosted in young massive clusters,…
Stars are unique bodies of the Universe where self-gravity compress matter to such high temperature and density that several nuclear fusion reactions ignite, providing enough feedback against further compression for a time that can be even…
Massive stars influence their surroundings through radiation, winds, and supernova explosions far out of proportion to their small numbers. However, the physical processes that initiate and govern the birth of massive stars remain poorly…
Most stars, perhaps even all stars, form in crowded stellar environments. Such star forming regions typically dissolve within ten million years, while others remain bound as stellar groupings for hundreds of millions to billions of years,…
Binary black holes (BHs) can be formed dynamically in the centers of star clusters. The high natal kicks for stellar-mass BHs used in previous works made it hard to retain BHs in star clusters. Recent studies of massive star evolution and…
The evolution of circumstellar discs is influenced by their surroundings. The relevant processes include external photoevaporation due to nearby stars, and dynamical truncations. The impact of these processes on disc populations depends on…