Related papers: Dynamically consistent analysis of Galactic WN4b s…
A growing number of Galactic Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars, in particular WC and transitional WN/C (WNC) objects, have been reported at comparatively low luminosities. If confirmed, these low-luminosity WR stars provide stringent tests of…
We use ultraviolet space-based (FUSE, HST) and optical/IR ground-based (2.3m MSSSO, NTT) spectroscopy to determine the physical parameters of six WC4-type Wolf-Rayet stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Stellar parameters are revised…
(abridged) The strong winds of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are important for the mechanical and chemical feedback of the most massive stars and determine whether they end their lives as neutron stars or black holes. In this work we investigate…
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…
Aims: Following our comprehensive studies of the WR stars in the Milky Way, we now present spectroscopic analyses of almost all known WN stars in the LMC. Methods: For the quantitative analysis of the wind-dominated emission-line spectra,…
Comprehensive spectral analyses of the Galactic Wolf-Rayet stars of the nitrogen sequence (i.e.\ the WN subclass) have been performed in a previous paper. However, the distances of these objects were poorly known. Distances have a direct…
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…
Line-driven stellar winds are ubiquitous among hot massive stars. In some cases they can become so strong, that the whole star is cloaked by an optically thick wind. The strong outflow gives rise to large emission lines, defining the class…
Classical Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars mark an important stage in the late evolution of massive stars. As hydrogen-poor massive stars, these objects have lost their outer layers, while still losing further mass through strong winds indicated by…
We present a simple analytical method to describe the structure of a spherically expanding envelope with strong mass outflow. The structure is consistently connected to the hydrostatic stellar interior and provides an adequate description…
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars have a severe impact on their environments owing to their strong ionizing radiation fields and powerful stellar winds. Since these winds are considered to be driven by radiation pressure, it is theoretically expected…
With their emission-line dominated spectra, the appearance of Wolf-Rayet stars is shaped by their strong stellar winds. Yet, the physical mechanisms behind their high mass loss have long remained enigmatic. While we know nowadays that…
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…
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are massive stars that have lost most or all of their hydrogen via powerful stellar winds. Recent observations have indicated that hydrogen-free WR stars have cooler temperatures than those predicted by current…
Classical Wolf-Rayet (cWR) stars are evolved massive stars that have lost most of their H envelope and exhibit dense, extended atmospheres with strong, line-driven winds. Accurately modeling wind launching from optically thick layers…
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars are the evolved descendants of the most massive stars and show emission-line dominated spectra formed in their powerful stellar winds. Marking the final evolution stage before core collapse, the standard picture of WR…
The fast, dense winds which characterize Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars obscure their underlying cores, and complicate the verification of evolving core and nucleosynthesis models. Core evolution can be probed by measuring abundances of wind-borne…
Recent results for Galactic and Magellanic Cloud Wolf-Rayet stars are summarised based on line blanketed, clumped model atmospheres together with UV, optical and IR spectroscopy. The trend towards earlier WN and WC spectral types with…
We summarize new X-ray detections of four nitrogen-type Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars obtained in a limited survey aimed at establishing the X-ray properties of WN stars across their full range of spectral subtypes. None of the detected stars is so…
CONTEXT: Very massive stars pass through the Wolf-Rayet (WR) stage before they finally explode. Details of their evolution have not yet been safely established, and their physics are not well understood. Their spectral analysis requires…