Related papers: Combining observational techniques to constrain co…

We use the analysis of the heavy element abundances (C, N, O, S) in circumstellar nebulae around Luminous Blue Variables to infer the evolutionary phase in which the material has been ejected. (1) We discuss the different effects that may…

The evolution of massive stars is only partly understood. Observational constraints can be obtained from the study of massive stars located in young massive clusters. The ESO Public Survey VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) discovered…

Massive stars often evolve in binary systems, in which binary interactions significantly affect their evolution. Massive stars in the Galaxy serve as valuable testbeds for this due to their proximity. We computed the evolution of more than…

The subsurface convective zones (CZs) of massive stars significantly influences many of their key characteristics. Previous studies have paid little attention to the impact of rotation on the subsurface convective zone (CZ), so we aim to…

Red supergiant stars represent a key phase in the evolution of massive stars. Recent radiative hydrodynamic simulations suggest that their atmospheres may be the location of large-scale convective motions. As supergiant convection is…

The treatment of convective boundaries during core helium burning is a fundamental problem in stellar evolution calculations. In Paper~I we showed that new asteroseismic observations of these stars imply they have either very large…

The blue supergiant (BSG) problem, namely, the overabundance of BSGs inconsistent with classical stellar evolution theory, remains an open question in stellar astrophysics. Several theoretical explanations have been proposed, which may be…

Fundamental properties of the extinction curve, like the slope in the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) and the presence/absence of a broad absorption excess centred at 2175 A (the UV bump), are investigated for a sample of 108 massive,…

We investigate the resolved star formation properties of a sample of 45 massive galaxies (M_*>10^11M_solar) within a redshift range of 1.5 < z < 3 detected in the GOODS NICMOS Survey (Conselice et al. 2011), a HST H-band imaging program. We…

Context. Current implementations of mass loss for hot, massive stars in stellar evolution models include a sharp increase in mass loss when blue supergiants become cooler than Teff 20-22kK. This drastic mass-loss jump has been motivated by…

We present high resolution (lambda / Delta_lambda = 49000) echelle spectra of the intermediate mass, pre-main sequence stars BF Ori, SV Cep, WW Wul and XY Per. The spectra cover the range 3800-5900 angstroms and monitor the stars on time…

In the first weeks-to-months of a type II-P supernova (SN), the spectrum formation region is within the hydrogen-rich envelope of the exploding star. Optical spectra taken within a few days of the SN explosion, when the photosphere is hot,…

Two dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of convective oxygen burning shell in the presupernova evolution of a 20 solar-mass star are extended to later times. We used the VULCAN code to simulate longer evolution times than previously…

The location of B supergiants in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) represents a long-standing problem in massive star evolution. Here we propose their nature may be revealed utilising their rotational properties, and we highlight a…

Evidence suggests that the direct progenitor stars of some core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are luminous blue variables (LBVs), perhaps including some `superluminous supernovae' (SLSNe). We examine models in which massive stars gain mass…

Stars on the lower main sequence (F-type through M-type) have substantial convective envelopes beneath their stellar photospheres. Convection in these regions can couple with rotation to build global-scale structures that may be observable…

Massive stars expel large amounts of mass during their late evolutionary phases. We aim to unveil the physical conditions within the warm molecular environments of B[e] supergiants (B[e]SGs) and yellow hypergiants (YHGs), which are known to…

Blue supergiant stars are known to display photometric and spectroscopic variability that is suggested to be linked to stellar pulsations. Pulsational activity in massive stars strongly depends on the star's evolutionary stage and is…

We predict the flux and surface velocity perturbations produced by convectively excited gravity modes (g-modes) in main sequence stars. Core convection in massive stars can excite g-modes to sufficient amplitudes to be detectable with high…

We report on the unprecedented Red Supergiant (RSG) population of a massive young cluster, located at the base of the Scutum-Crux Galactic arm. We identify candidate cluster RSGs based on {\it 2MASS} photometry and medium resolution…