Related papers: Triggering Eruptive Mass Ejection in Luminous Blue…
Eta Carinae is the nearest example of a supermassive, superluminous, unstable star. Mass loss from the system is critical in shaping its circumstellar medium and in determining its ultimate fate. Eta Car currently loses mass via a dense,…
Energetic outflows from main sequence stars accreting mass at very high rates might account for the powering of some eruptive objects, such as merging main sequence stars, major eruptions of luminous blue variables, e.g., the Great Eruption…
Among the most spectacular variable stars are the Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs), which can show three types of variability. The LBV phase of evolution is poorly understood, and the driving mechanisms for the variability are not known. The…
Observations of transient phenomena in the Universe reveal a spectrum of mass-ejection properties associated with massive stars, covering from Type II/Ib/Ic core-collapse supernovae (SNe) to giant eruptions of Luminous Blue Variables (LBV)…
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…
We assume that the strong convection during core helium flash of low mass red giant branch (RBG) stars excite waves that propagate to the envelope, and find that the energy that these waves deposit in the envelope causes envelope expansion…
I show that the 17th century eruption of the massive luminous blue variable (LBV) star P Cygni can be explained by mass transfer to a B-type binary companion in an eccentric orbit, under the assumption that the luminosity peaks occurred…
After the initial fast spiral-in phase experienced by a common-envelope binary, the system may enter a slow, self-regulated phase, possibly lasting 100s of years, in which all the energy released by orbital decay can be efficiently…
Mass loss is one of the key parameters that determine stellar evolution. Despite the progress we have achieved over the last decades we still cannot match the observational derived values with theoretical predictions. Even worse, there are…
The interaction between supernova ejecta and circumstellar matter, arising from previous episodes of mass loss, provides us with a means with which to constrain the progenitors of supernovae. Radio observations of a number of supernovae…
Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are rare objects of very high luminosity and mass loss rates, low wind velocities, exhibiting strong irregular photometric and spectral variability. They are generally believed to be a relatively short…
We investigate a suspected very massive star in one of the most metal-poor dwarf galaxies, PHL~293B. Excitingly, we find the sudden disappearance of the stellar signatures from our 2019 spectra, in particular the broad H lines with P~Cygni…
We predict quantitative mass-loss rates and terminal wind velocities for early-type supergiants and luminous blue variables (LBVs) using a dynamical version of the Monte Carlo radiative transfer method. First, the observed drop in terminal…
We discuss the role of mass loss for the evolution of the most massive stars, highlighting the role of the predicted bi-stability jump that might be relevant for the evolution of rotational velocities during or just after the main sequence.…
We review potential mass-loss mechanisms in the various evolutionary stages of massive stars, from the well-known line-driven winds of O-stars and BA-supergiants to the less-understood winds from Red Supergiants. We discuss optically thick…
In our ongoing study of eta Carinae's light echoes, there is a relatively bright echo that has been fading slowly, reflecting the 1845-1858 plateau of the eruption. A separate paper discusses its detailed evolution, but here we highlight…
A number of stellar astrophysical phenomena, such as tidal novae and planetary engulfment, involve sudden injection of sub-binding energy in a thin layer within the star, leading to mass ejection of the stellar envelope. We use a 1D…
Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are evolved massive stars close to the Eddington limit, with a distinct spectroscopic and photometric variability having unsteady mass-loss rates. These stars show a considerable change in their surface…
Massive stars, supernovae (SNe), and long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have a huge impact on their environment. Despite their importance, a comprehensive knowledge of which massive stars produce which SN/GRB is hitherto lacking. We…
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…