Related papers: Episodic Mass Loss and Pre-SN Circumstellar Envelo…
Stars more massive than about 8 Msun end their lives as a Supernova (SN), an event of fundamental importance Universe-wide. Theoretically, these stars have been expected to be either at the red supergiant, blue supergiant, or Wolf-Rayet…
I discuss the role played by short-duration eruptive mass loss in the evolution of very massive stars. Giant eruptions of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) like the 19th century event of eta Carinae can remove large quantities of mass almost…
We suggest that the mass lost during the evolution of very massive stars may be dominated by optically thick, continuum-driven outbursts or explosions, instead of by steady line-driven winds. In order for a massive star to become a WR star,…
Observations of core-collapse supernovae suggest that some massive stars undergo intense mass loss shortly before explosion, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here we report evidence of giant outbursts of clumpy material from a…
We present results of a systematic study of the mass-loss properties of Type IIn supernova progenitors within decades before their explosion. We apply an analytic light curve model to 11 Type IIn supernova bolometric light curves to derive…
Spectroscopic detection of narrow emission lines traces the presence of circumstellar mass distributions around massive stars exploding as core-collapse supernovae. Transient emission lines disappearing shortly after the supernova explosion…
There is now substantial evidence that the progenitors of some core-collapse supernovae undergo enhanced or extreme mass loss prior to explosion. The imprint of this mass loss is observed in the spectra and dynamics of the expanding…
Luminous blue variable (LBV) stars are very massive, luminous, unstable stars that suffer frequent eruptions. In the last few years, these stars have been proposed as the direct progenitors of some core-collapse supernovae (SNe),…
A growing number of core collapse supernovae (SNe) which show evidence for interaction with dense circumstellar material (CSM) are accompanied by "precursor" optical emission rising weeks to months prior to the explosion. The precursor…
The most massive stars, with initial masses above ~50M_sun, encounter a phase of extreme mass loss - sometimes accompanied by so-called giant eruptions - in which the stars' evolution is reversed from a redward to a blueward motion in the…
Prior to explosion, a supernova progenitor slowly loses significant amounts of its hydrogen envelope in a stellar wind. After the explosion, the blastwave interacts with this wind producing synchrotron emission. A year of radio observations…
<Context> Ideally, one would like to know which type of core-collapse SNe is produced by different progenitors and the channels of stellar evolution leading to these progenitors. These links have to be very well known to use the observed…
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…
I discuss the role of short-duration eruptive mass loss in the evolution of very massive stars. Giant eruptions of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) like the 19th century event of $\eta$ Carinae can remove large quantities of mass almost…
I present the results of radiation-driven mass-loss predictions for hot stars of all mass. Mass loss is an important aspect for the evolution of massive stars, the rotational properties of the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts, and is…
Supernovae (SNe) powered by interaction with circumstellar material provide evidence for intense stellar mass loss during the final years leading up to core collapse. We have argued that during and after core neon burning, internal gravity…
Mass loss from massive stars ($\ga 8 \msun$) can result in the formation of circumstellar wind blown cavities surrounding the star, bordered by a thin, dense, cold shell. When the star explodes as a core-collapse supernova (SN), the…
Massive stars shape their surroundings with mass loss from winds during their lifetimes. Fast ejecta from supernovae, from these massive stars, shocks this circumstellar medium. Emission generated by this interaction provides a window into…
LBVs are massive evolved stars that suffer sporadic and violent mass-loss events. They have been proposed as the progenitors of some core-collapse SNe, but this idea is still debated due to the lack of direct evidence. Since SNRs can carry…
We analyze the properties of 42 rapidly rotating, low metallicity, quasi-chemically homogeneously evolving stellar models in the mass range between 4 and 45 $\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ at the time of core collapse. Such models were proposed as…