Related papers: Massive binaries, Wolf-Rayet stars and supernova p…
Generally accepted scheme distinguishes two main classes of supernovae (SNe): Ia resulting from the old stellar population (deflagration of a white dwarf in close binary systems), and SNe of type II and Ib/c whose ancestors are young…
We first discuss the mass range of type IIP SN progenitors and how the upper and lower limits impose interesting constraints on stellar evolution. Then we discuss the possible implications of two SNe, 2002ap and 2006jc, for Wolf-Rayet star…
The first directly observed gravitational wave event, GW150914, featuring the merger of two massive black holes, highlighted the need to determine how these systems of compact remnant binaries are formed. We use the binary population…
When a core collapse supernova occurs in a binary system, the surviving star as well as the compact remnant emerging from the SN, may reach a substantial space velocity. With binary population synthesis modelling at solar and one fifth of…
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars, as they are advanced stages of the life of massive stars, provide a good test for various physical processes involved in the modelling of massive stars, such as rotation and mass loss. In this paper, we show the…
Stellar evolution theory is most uncertain for massive stars. For reliable predictions of the evolution of massive stars and their final fate, solid constraints on the physical parameters, and their changes along the evolution and in…
This review describes the most common theories behind long-duration gamma-ray burst progenitors. I discuss two astrophysical scenarios: the collapsar and the magnetar models. According to their requirements, the progenitor should be an…
Although the association of gamma-ray bursts with massive stellar death is on firm footing, the nature of the progenitor system and the key ingredients required for a massive star to produce a gamma-ray burst remain open questions. Here, we…
We carry out a comprehensive theoretical examination of the relationship between the spatial distribution of optical transients and the properties of their progenitor stars. By constructing analytic models of star-forming galaxies and the…
Knowledge of the formation of neutron stars (NSs) in supernova (SN) explosions is of fundamental importance in wide areas of contemporary astrophysics: X-ray binaries, magnetars, radio pulsars, and, not least, double NS systems which merge…
Our understanding of massive stars remains incomplete. Many high-z galaxies and nearby analogs exhibit strong He II emission, indicating an abundance of photons with energies >54.4 eV that standard single-star population models cannot…
We examine the sensitivity of neutrino emissions to stellar evolution models for a 15$M_\odot$ progenitor, paying particular attention to a phase prior to the collapse. We demonstrate that the number luminosities in both electron-type…
Planetary nebulae are traditionally considered to represent the final evolutionary stage of all intermediate-mass stars ($\sim$0.7-8Msol). Recent evidence seems to contradict this picture. In particular, since the launch of the Hubble Space…
We report the identification of a source coincident with SN 2009kr in HST pre-explosion images. The object appears to be a single point source with an intrinsic colour V-I = 1.1 and M_V = -7.6. If this is a single star it would be a yellow…
Thermonuclear (type Ia) supernovae are bright stellar explosions with the unique property that the light curves can be standardized, allowing them to be used as distance indicators for cosmological studies. Many fundamental questions bout…
Type IIb supernovae (SNe) present a unique opportunity for understanding the progenitors of stripped-envelope (SE) SNe as the stellar progenitor of several Type IIb SNe have been identified in pre-explosion images. In this paper, we use…
Observationally, supernovae (SNe) are divided into subclasses pertaining to their distinct characteristics. This diversity reflects the diversity in the progenitor stars. It is not entirely clear how different evolutionary paths leading…
The recent discovery of a gravitational wave from the merging of two black holes of about 30 solar masses each challenges our incomplete understanding of massive stars and their evolution. Critical ingredients comprise mass-loss, rotation,…
Here we examine 12 Galactic clusters and OB associations containing Wolf-Rayet stars (W-Rs) and/or Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs), in order to assess the progentor masses of these evolved massive stars. We find that in the Milky Way,…
We find constraints on minimum and maximum mass of ordinary neutron stars imposed by their early evolution (protoneutron star stage). We calculate models of protoneutron stars using a realistic standard equation of state of hot, dense…