Related papers: Pair-Instability Supernovae, Gravity Waves, and Ga…
We investigate the fate of a collapsing stellar core, which is the final state of evolution of a massive, rotating star of a Wolf-Rayet type. Such stars explode as type I b/c supernovae, which have been observed in association with long…
Similar to their low-mass counterparts, massive stars likely form via the collapse of pre-stellar molecular cores. Recent observations suggest that most massive cores are subvirial (i.e., not supported by turbulence) and therefore are…
Supermassive stars (SMSs), with masses $>10^5$ M$_\odot$, have been proposed as the possible progenitors of the most extreme supermassive black holes observed at redshifts $z>6-7$. In this scenario ('direct collapse'), a SMS accretes at…
SN 2006gy radiated far more energy in visual light than any other supernova so far, and potential explanations for its energy demands have implications for galactic chemical evolution and the deaths of the first stars. It remained bright…
Highly condensed gaseous objects with masses larger than 5x10^4 M_sun are called super-massive stars. In the quasistationary contraction phase, the hydrostatic equilibrium is determined by radiation pressure and gravitation. The global…
The discovery of the extremely luminous supernova SN 2006gy, possibly interpreted as a pair instability supernova, renewed the interest in very massive stars. We explore the evolution of these objects, which end their life as pair…
Massive stars less massive than ~30 Msol evolve into a red supergiant after the main sequence. Given a standard IMF, this means about 80% of all single massive stars will experience this phase. RSGs are dominated by convection, with a…
The observational signatures of the first cosmic explosions and their chemical imprint on second-generation stars both crucially depend on how heavy elements mix within the star at the earliest stages of the blast. We present numerical…
Knowledge of the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae is a fundamental component in understanding the explosions. The recent progress in finding such stars is reviewed. The minimum initial mass that can produce a supernova has converged…
Massive stars can exhibit giant eruptions with high mass loss shortly before their explosion as a core-collapse Supernova. These multiple giant eruptions (MGEs) may have a commutative effect that brings the star to a different state,…
A very massive star with a carbon-oxygen core in the range of $64$ M$_{\odot}<M_{\mathrm{CO}}<133$ M$_{\odot}$ is expected to undergo a very different kind of explosion known as a pair instability supernova. Pair instability supernovae are…
Supermassive stars born from pristine gas in atomically-cooled haloes are thought to be the progenitors of supermassive black holes at high redshifts. However, the way they accrete their mass is still an unsolved problem. In particular, for…
A binary neutron star (BNS) merger can lead to various outcomes, from indefinitely stable neutron stars, through supramassive (SMNS) or hypermassive (HMNS) neutron stars supported only temporarily against gravity, to black holes formed…
Nonrotating, zero metallicity stars with initial masses 140 < M < 260 solar masses are expected to end their lives as pair-production supernovae (PPSNe), in which an electron-positron pair-production instability triggers explosive nuclear…
Supermassive primordial stars forming in atomically-cooled halos at $z \sim15-20$ are currently thought to be the progenitors of the earliest quasars in the Universe. In this picture, the star evolves under accretion rates of $0.1 - 1$…
We investigate the possibility of a supernova in supermassive ($5 \times 10^4 \;M_\odot$) population III stars induced by a general relativistic instability occurring in the helium burning phase. This explosion could occur via rapid helium…
Core collapse of dense massive star clusters is unavoidable and this leads to the formation of massive objects, with a mass up to 1000 $\msun$ and even larger. When these objects become stars, stellar wind mass loss determines their…
Core-Collapse supernovae arise from stars greater than 8 $\msun$. These stars lose a considerable amount of mass during their lifetime, which accumulates around the star forming wind-blown bubbles. Upon the death of the star in a…
Using recently calculated models for massive stellar evolution and supernovae coupled to a model for Galactic chemical evolution, neutron star and black hole birth functions (number of neutron stars and black holes as a function of their…
The compact remnants of core collapse supernovae - neutron stars and black holes - have properties that reflect both the structure of their stellar progenitors and the physics of the explosion. In particular, the masses of these remnants…