Related papers: The Wolf-Rayet hydrogen puzzle -- an observational…
A 12th Wolf-Rayet star in the SMC has recently been discovered by Massey et al. (2003). In order to determine its spectral type and a preliminary binary status, we obtained 3 high signal-to-noise spectra separated in time at the ESO-NTT.…
The majority of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars represent the stripped cores of evolved massive stars who lost most of their hydrogen envelope. In low metallicity environments, such as the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), stellar winds are weaker and…
Massive Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars comprise a spectroscopic class characterized by high temperatures (Teff > ~30 kK) and powerful and rapid stellar winds. Hydrogen-rich WR stars represent the most massive stars in existence (M > ~100 Msun),…
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…
Aims. We have gathered optical spectra of 8 long-duration GRB host galaxies selected from the archival data of VLT/FORS2. We investigated whether or not Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars can be detected in these GRB host galaxies. We also tried to…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars of the WNh category contain a significant fraction of hydrogen at their surface. They can be hydrogen-burning, very massive stars or stars in a post-main sequence phase of evolution. Also, WNh stars are sometimes not…
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…
As part of a multi-year survey for Wolf-Rayet stars in the Magellanic Clouds, we have discovered a new type of Wolf-Rayet star with both strong emission and absorption. While one might initially classify these stars as WN3+O3V binaries…
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,…
As part of a search for Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in the Magellanic Clouds, we have discovered a new type of WR star in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). These stars have both strong emission lines, as well as He ii and Balmer absorption lines…
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) hosts 12 known Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars, seven of which are apparently single. Their formation is a challenge for current stellar evolution models because line-driven winds are generally assumed to be quenched…
A review of observational evidence in favour of a metallicity dependence of WN and WC stars is presented. New near-IR studies of Milky Way, LMC and SMC early-type WN stars are presented, with weake winds amongst WN stars containing…
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…
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars comprise a class of stars whose spectra are dominated by strong, broad emission lines that are associated with copious mass loss. In the massive-star regime, roughly 90% of the known WR stars are thought to have…
Using the stellar evolution code---Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA), we investigate the evolution of massive stars with different rotational velocities and metallicities towards Wolf-Rayet stars. In our simulations,…
Observed properties of Wolf-Rayet stars at high metallicity are reviewed. Wolf-Rayet stars are more common at higher metallicity, as a result of stronger mass-loss during earlier evolutionary phases with late WC subtypes signatures of solar…