Related papers: Polarization Variability Arising from Clumps in th…
Some isolated Wolf-Rayet stars present random variability in their optical flux and polarization. We make the assumption that such variability is caused by the presence of regions of enhanced density, i.e. blobs, in their envelopes. In…
Fast-rotating Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are potential progenitors of long gamma-ray bursts, but observational verification is challenging. Spectral lines from their expanding stellar wind obscure accurate rotational velocity measurements.…
The topic of wind-clumping has been the subject of much activity in recent years, due to the impact that it can have on derived mass-loss rates. Here we present an alternative method of investigating wind-clumping, that of polarimetry. We…
Clumping in the winds of massive stars may significantly reduce empirical mass-loss rates, and which in turn may have a large impact on our understanding of massive star evolution. Here, we investigate wind-clumping through the linear…
Fast rotating Wolf-Rayet stars are expected to be progenitors of long duration gamma-ray bursts. However, the observational test of this model is problematic. Spectral lines of Wolf-Rayet stars originate in expanding stellar wind, therefore…
The mass-loss rates of hot, massive, luminous stars are considered a decisive parameter in shaping the evolutionary tracks of such stars and influencing the interstellar medium on galactic scales. The small-scale structures (clumps)…
We report precision ground-based broadband optical intensity and linear-polarisation light-curves for the sky's brightest WN8 star, WR40. WN8 stars are notorious for their high level of variability, stemming from stochastic clumps in their…
We attempt to determine the driver for clumping in hot-star winds by extending the measure of the spectral variability level of Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars to by far the hottest known among them, the WN2 star WR 2 and the WO2 stars WR 102 and…
Massive star winds are structured both stochastically ("clumps") and often coherently (Co-rotation Interaction Regions, or CIRs). Evidence for CIRs threading the winds of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars arises from multiple diagnostics including…
Wolf-Rayet stars have strong, hot winds, with mass-loss rates at least a factor of ten greater than their O-star progenitors, although their terminal wind speeds are similar. In this paper we use the technique of multiband linear…
The striking broad emission line spectroscopic appearance of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars has long defied analysis, due to the extreme physical conditions within their line and continuum forming regions. Recently, model atmosphere studies have…
Among Wolf-Rayet stars, those of subtype WN8 are the intrinsically most variable. We have explored the long-term photometric variability of the brightest known WN8 star, WR 40, through four contiguous months of time-resolved,…
In the subclass of high-mass X-ray binaries known as "microquasars", relativistic hadrons in the jets launched by the compact object can interact with cold protons from the star's radiatively driven wind, producing pions that then quickly…
The spectra of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars exhibit strong, broad emission lines that originate in the wind. These winds are radiatively driven and are susceptible to hydrodynamic instabilities that result in the formation of clumps. When…
Understanding the evolution of massive binary stars requires accurate estimates of their masses. This understanding is critically important because massive star evolution can potentially lead to gravitational wave sources such as binary…
We present the first systematic spectropolarimetric study of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs), and find that at least half those objects studied display evidence for intrinsic polarization -- a signature of significant inhomogeneity at the…
Spectroscopic observations have shown for decades that the Wolf-Rayet (WR) phenomenon is ubiquitous among stars with different initial masses. Although much effort to understand the winds from massive WR stars has been presented in the…
We present the results of Monte Carlo mass-loss predictions for massive stars covering a wide range of stellar parameters. We critically test our predictions against a range of observed mass-loss rates -- in light of the recent discussions…
Context: Recent gamma-ray observations of young star clusters revealed that stellar wind termination shocks accelerate particles, with the energy reservoir provided by the mechanical power of massive-star winds. Aims: Our goal is to…
Given their strong stellar winds, Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars exhibit emission line spectra that are predominantly formed in expanding atmospheric layers. The description of the wind velocity field $v(r)$ is therefore a crucial ingredient in the…