Stellar evolution at high mass including the effect of a stellar wind

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1979 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/157388· OSTI ID:5729197

Strothers, R; Chin, C

Evolutionary tracks for stars of 15--120 M/sub sun/ undergoing mass loss due to a stellar wind have been computed from the zero-age main sequence to the end of core helium burning. All the models are based on Cox-Stewart opacities, and take fully into account semiconvective and convective modifications of the interior structure. Various cases of mass loss have been considered. If the amount of mass loss on the main sequence is assumed to be small, the post--main-sequence tracks turn out to be very sensitive to whether the Schwarzschild or the Ledoux criterion for convection is adopted, as well as to what values are adopted for the initial metals abundance and convective mixing length. A somewhat larger assumed amount of main-sequence mass loss invariably will produce a red supergiant (due to the suppression of hydrogen-shell convection), while a very much larger assumed amount of mass loss during either the main-sequence or post--main-sequence stages will always produce a blue helium star (due to removal of most of the hydrogen envelope). Comparison of the theoretically derived results with observations of OBN stars, WN stars, and bright supergiants suggests that the most massive stars could, in the course of their lifetimes, lose a substantial amount of mass. However, the interpretation for stars of slightly lower initial mass is rather more ambiguous, except that mass loss is probably not very important for initial masses below approx.30 M/sub sun/.

• Research Organization: NASA Institute for Space Studies, Goddard Space Flight Center
• OSTI ID: 5729197
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 233:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
STAR EVOLUTION
STAR MODELS
STELLAR WINDS
CONVECTION
HERTZSPRUNG-RUSSELL DIAGRAM
SUPERGIANT STARS
DIAGRAMS
GIANT STARS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources