Related papers: Wind-envelope interaction as the origin of the slo…
The evolution of massive stars even on the main sequence is not yet well understood. Due to the steep mass-luminosity relation, massive main sequence stars become very luminous. This brings their envelopes very close to the Eddington limit.…
We present radiation-driven wind models for Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) and predict their mass-loss rates. We study the effects of lower masses and modified abundances in comparison to the normal OB supergiants, and we find that the main…
Luminous blue variables (LBVs) exhibit unique variability features, characterized by episodic outbursts ($>$1 mag) accompanied by spectroscopic changes (S Dor variables). It is debated if all massive stars undergo an LBV-like phase during…
We present the results of numerical simulations of continuum-driven winds of stars that exceed the Eddington limit and compare these against predictions from earlier analytical solutions. Our models are based on the assumption that the…
The identification of stellar-mass black-hole mergers with up to 80 Msun as powerful sources of gravitational wave radiation led to increased interest in the physics of the most massive stars. The largest sample of possible progenitors of…
Line-driven wind instability is expected to cause small-scale wind inhomogeneities, X-ray emission, and wind line profile variability. The instability can already develop around the sonic point if it is initiated close to the photosphere…
Stellar evolution models of massive stars are very sensitive to the adopted mass-loss scheme. The magnitude and evolution of mass-loss rates significantly affect the main sequence evolution, and the properties of post-main sequence objects,…
We study the runaway mass loss process of major eruptions of luminous blue variables (LBVs) stars, such as the 1837-1856 Great Eruption of Eta Carinae. We follow the evolution of a massive star with a spherical stellar evolution numerical…
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…
Mass-loss from massive stars is fundamental to stellar and galactic evolution and enrichment of the interstellar medium. Reliable determination of mass-loss rate is dependent upon unravelling details of massive star outflows, including…
A small fraction of the radiative flux emitted by hot stars is absorbed by their winds and redistributed towards longer wavelengths. This effect, which leads also to the heating of the stellar photosphere, is termed wind blanketing. For…
Mass loss through stellar winds plays a dominant role in the evolution of massive stars. In particular the mass-loss rates of very massive stars (VMSs, $> 100\,M_{\odot}$) are highly uncertain. Such stars display Wolf-Rayet spectral…
We present the first systematic spectropolarimetric study of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds, in order to investigate the geometries of their winds. We find that at least half of our sample show…
We investigate the effects of stellar limb-darkening and photospheric perturbations for the onset of wind structure arising from the strong, intrinsic line-deshadowing instability (LDI) of a line-driven stellar wind. A linear perturbation…
Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) are enigmatic, evolved, massive stars. Their variability has been observed to be episodic with large eruptions, along with variations on time-scales of days to decades. We have extracted light curves of 37…
Observations show that luminous blue variables (LBVs) are far more dispersed than massive O-type stars, and Smith & Tombleson suggested that these large separations are inconsistent with a single-star evolution model of LBVs. Instead, they…
Using the archives of the American Association of Variable Stars Observers and our own data, we analyse the long-term variability of several well-studied Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) aiming on a general picture of stochastic variability…
Giant eruptions (GE) in Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are years to decades-long episodes of enhanced mass loss from the outer layers of the star during which the star undergoes major changes in its physical and observed properties. We use…
We review our current understanding on the outer envelope structures of massive stars based on three dimensional (3D) radiation hydrodynamic simulations. We briefly summarize the fundamental issues to construct hydrostatic one dimensional…
Very massive stars (VMS) play a fundamental role in astrophysics due to their winds and supernovae (SN), and their role as massive black hole (BH) progenitors. However, their origin and evolution remain a significant challenge. Recent…