Related papers: Wolf-Rayet stars: recent advances and persisting p…

This study is the second part of a survey searching for large-scale spectroscopic variability in apparently single Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. In a previous paper (Paper I), we described and characterized the spectroscopic variability level of…

Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars near solar metallicity are believed to be driven by radiation pressure on the UV spectral lines of metal ions. As the metallicity decreases so does the line opacity, therefore the mass-loss rate. However, since the…

We measure transverse proper motion velocities of LMC Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars using Gaia DR3 astrometry. The combined velocity distribution of WNh, O If*/WN, and WNL very massive stars ($>100\ M_\odot$; VMS) shows both slow, unejected objects…

The discovery of new Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in our Galaxy via large-scale narrowband optical surveys has been severely limited by dust extinction. Recent improvements in infrared technology have made narrowband-broadband imaging surveys…

The favoured progenitors of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are rapidly rotating Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. However, most Galactic WR stars are slow rotators, as stellar winds are thought to remove angular momentum. This poses a challenge…

Do some Wolf-Rayet stars owe their strong winds to something else besides radiation pressure? The answer to this question is still not entirely obvious, especially in certain Wolf-Rayet subclasses, mainly WN8 and WC9. Both of these types of…

(Abridged) We have performed a comprehensive multiwavelength analysis of a sample of 20 starburst galaxies that show the presence of a substantial population of massive stars. The main aims are the study of the massive star formation and…

The spin of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars at low metallicity (Z) is most relevant for our understanding of gravitational wave sources such as GW 150914, as well as the incidence of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Two scenarios have been…

We analyze longslit spectral observations of fourteen Wolf-Rayet galaxies from the sample of Schaerer, Contini & Pindao (1999). All 14 galaxies show broad Wolf-Rayet emission in the blue region of the spectrum, consisting of a blend of…

We review the properties of carbon-sequence ([WC]) Wolf-Rayet central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe). Differences between the subtype distribution of [WC] stars and their massive WC cousins are discussed. We conclude that [WO]-type…

Nearly all types of massive stars with radiatively driven stellar winds are X-ray sources that can be observed by the presently operating powerful X-ray telescopes. In this review I briefly address recent advances in our understanding of…

We study the evolution of the circumstellar medium of massive stars. We pay particular attention to Wolf-Rayet stars that are thought to be the progenitors of some long Gamma-Ray Bursts. We detail the mass-loss rates we use in our stellar…

We report the first-ever discovery of a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star in the Large Magellanic Cloud via detection of a circular shell with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Follow-up observations with Gemini-South resolved the central star of the shell…

We stress the importance of Wolf-Rayet stars for the understanding of the AGN phenomenon in galaxies. WR stars provide an unique opportunity to explore from the ground whether non-thermal nuclear activity and circumnuclear starbursts are…

Massive stars shape their surrounding medium through the force of their stellar winds, which collide with the circumstellar medium. Because the characteristics of these stellar winds vary over the course of the evolution of the star, the…

The majority of core-collapse supernova (CCSN) progenitors are massive stars in multiple systems, and their evolution and final fate are affected by interactions with their companions. These interactions can explain the presence of…

We are continuing a J, K and narrow-band imaging survey of 300 square degrees of the plane of the Galaxy, searching for new Wolf-Rayet stars. Our survey spans 150 degrees in Galactic longitude and reaches 1 degree above and below the…

Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are evolved massive stars, presumably on their way to becoming supernova. They are characterized by high luminosities and fast and dense stellar winds. We have detected signs of a radio continuum pinwheel associated…

Observational and theoretical evidence in support of metallicity dependent winds for Wolf-Rayet stars is considered. Well known differences in Wolf-Rayet subtype distributions in the Milky Way, LMC and SMC may be attributed to the…

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…