Related papers: Optically observable zero-age main-sequence O star…
We analyze 10 UV time series for 5 stars which fulfill specific sampling and spectral criteria to constrain the origin of large-scale wind structure in O stars. We argue that excited state lines must arise close to the stellar surface and…
In two papers we try to confirm that all Galactic high-mass stars are formed in a cluster environment, by excluding that O-type stars found in the Galactic field actually formed there. In de Wit et al. (2004) we presented deep K-band…
AIMS. We test the hypothesis of O Vz stars (characterized by having HeII4686 stronger in absorption than other He lines in their blue-violet spectra) being at a younger evolutionary stage than are normal O-type dwarfs. METHODS. We have…
We have recently derived a family of extinction laws for 30 Doradus that provides better fits to the optical photometry of obscured stars in the Galaxy and the LMC. Simultaneously, we are extending our Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey…
We have performed intermediate resolution (R = 5000), high signal-to-noise H-band spectroscopy of a small, initial sample of three massive embedded young stellar objects (YSOs), using VLT/ISAAC. The sample has been selected from sources…
Oxygen is a promising exoplanet biosignature due to the evolutionary advantage conferred by harnessing starlight for photosynthesis, and the apparent low likelihood of maintaining oxygen-rich atmospheres without life. Hypothetical scenarios…
We report the discovery of 11 OH megamasers and one OH absorber, along with upper limits on the OH luminosity of 53 other luminous infrared galaxies at z > 0.1. The new megamasers show a wide range of spectral properties, but are consistent…
The most massive stars dominate the chemical enrichment, mechanical and radiative feedback, and energy budget of their host environments. Yet how massive stars initially form and how they evolve throughout their lives is ambiguous. The mass…
A UV image in the direction of Ophiuchus, obtained with the FAUST instrument is analysed. Suitable candidates as unrecognized subluminous stars are selected comparing the observed UV flux to the predicted one. The uv-excess objects were…
Aims. Young, massive stars have been found at projected distances R < 0.5 pc from supermassive black hole, Sgr A* at the center of our Galay. In recent years, increasing evidence has been found for the presence of young, massive stars also…
We present a complete catalogue of 27 O VI absorbers at low redshift (0.12 < z < 0.5) from a blind survey of 16 QSO echelle spectra in the HST/STIS data archive. These absorbers are identified based only upon matching line profiles and the…
Embedded massive starclusters have recently been identified in several nearby galaxies by means of the radio-wave thermal bremsstrahlung emission from their surrounding HII regions. Energy requirements imply that these optically-obscured…
The IACOB and OWN surveys are two ambitious complementary observational projects which have made available a large multi-epoch spectroscopic database of optical high resolution spectra of Galactic massive O-type stars. As a first step in…
The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment project has recently provided the OGLE III list of low-luminosity object transits from campaigns #3 and #4, reporting 40 new objects exhibiting the low-amplitude photometric eclipses expected for…
O and early B stars are at the apex of galactic ecology, but in the Milky Way, only a minority of them may yet have been identified. We present the results of a pilot study to select and parametrise OB star candidates in the Southern…
Local Group (LG) very metal-poor massive stars are the best proxy for the First Stars of the Universe and fundamental to modelling the evolution of early galaxies. These stars may follow new evolutionary pathways restricted to very low…
Main sequence turn-off (MSTO) stars have advantages as indicators of Galactic evolution since their ages could be robustly estimated from atmospheric parameters. Hundreds of thousands of MSTO stars have been selected from the LAMOST…
Metal-poor massive stars drive the evolution of low-mass galaxies, both locally and at high redshift. However, quantifying the feedback they impart to their local surroundings remains uncertain because models of stellar evolution, mass…
Hot subluminous stars can be roughly divided into B- and O-types. Unlike the latter many sdBs are found in close binaries, indicating that binary evolution plays a vital role. Recent NLTE spectral analyses revealed that an evolutionary link…
We are conducting a study on the imprint of the ISM on optical spectra based on two types of ongoing spectroscopic massive-star surveys: on the one hand, intermediate-resolution (R = 2500) green-blue spectra for ~3000 stars obtained with…