Related papers: Massive star evolution: Luminous Blue Variables as…
We identify IRAS 16115-5044, which was previously classified as a protoplanetary nebula (PPN), as a candidate luminous blue variable (LBV). The star has high luminosity (>10$^{5.75}$ L_Sun), ensuring supergiant status, has a temperature…
We present the first quantitative spectroscopic modeling of an early-time supernova that interacts with its progenitor wind. Using the radiative transfer code CMFGEN, we investigate the recently-reported 15.5 h post-explosion spectrum of…
The light curves and spectra of many Type I and Type II supernovae (SNe) are heavily influenced by the interaction of the SN ejecta with circumstellar material (CSM) surrounding the progenitor star. The observed diversity shows that many…
The final evolution of stars in the mass range 70 - 140 solar masses is explored. Depending upon their mass loss history and rotation rates, these stars will end their lives as pulsational pair-instability supernovae producing a great…
We analyze the late time evolution of 12 supernovae (SNe) occurring over the last ${\sim}$41 years, including nine Type IIP/L, two IIb, and one Ib/c, using UBVR optical data from the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) and difference imaging.…
We discuss moderate resolution spectra, multicolor photometry, and light curves of thirty-one of the most luminous stars and variables in the giant spiral M101. The majority are intermediate A to F-type supergiants. We present new…
Massive stars can develop into tepid supergiants at several stages of their post main-sequence evolution, prior to core He-burning, on a blue loop, or close to the final supernova explosion. We discuss observational constraints on models of…
We provide atmospheric parameters and rotational velocities of a large sample (~400) of O- and early B-type stars, analysed in a homogeneous and consistent manner, for use in constraining theoretical models. Comparison of the rotational…
The observed giant outbursts of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) may occur when these massive stars approach their Eddington limits. When this happens, they must reach a point where the centrifugal force and the radiative acceleration cancel…
Massive stars and supernovae (SNe) have a huge impact on their environment. Despite their importance, a comprehensive knowledge of which massive stars produce which SNe is hitherto lacking. We use a Monte Carlo method to predict the…
The current perspective about the explosions of massive hydrogen-rich blue supergiants is that they resemble SN 1987A. These so-called peculiar Type II supernovae, however, are one of the rarest types of supernovae and may not hence be the…
We analyze pre-explosion near- and mid-infrared (IR) imaging of the site of SN 2023ixf in the nearby spiral galaxy M101 and characterize the candidate progenitor star. The star displays compelling evidence of variability with a possible…
We study the evolution of supernova remnants in the circumstellar medium formed by mass loss from the progenitor star. The properties of this interaction are investigated, and the specific case of a 35 $\msun$ star is studied in detail. The…
The Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn) have been found to be associated with significant amounts of dust. These core-collapse events are generally expected to be the final stage in the evolution of highly-massive stars, either while in an…
The theory underlying the evolution and death of stars heavier than 10 Msun on the main sequence is reviewed with an emphasis upon stars much heavier than 30 Msun. These are stars that, in the absence of substantial mass loss, are expected…
The explosive fate of massive stripped Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars is a key open question in stellar physics. An appealing option is that hydrogen-deficient W-R stars are the progenitors of some H-poor supernova (SN) explosions of Types IIb, Ib,…
The distribution of stars in the Hertzsprung Russell diagram (HRD) for a stellar conglomeration represents a snapshot of its evolving stellar population. Some of the supergiant stars may transit the HRD from blue to red and then again to…
Pair Instability Supernovae have been suggested as candidates for some Super Luminous Supernovae, such as SN 2007bi, and as one of the dominant types of explosion occurring in the early Universe from massive, zero-metallicity Population III…
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…
So called superluminous supernovae have been recently discovered in the local Universe. It appears possible that some of them originate from stellar explosions induced by the pair instability mechanism. Recent stellar evolution models also…