Wolf-Rayet population in 30 Doradus and its surroundings

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/164906· OSTI ID:6398589

Moffat, A F.J.; Niemela, V S; Phillips, M M; Chu, Y H; Seggewiss, W

An assessment is made of the Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars in the central five arcmin diameter of the 30 Dor Nebula. About 15 genuine W-R stars are found, about 75 percent of which are late type WN, luminous (WNL) stars of type WN6 and WN7. The fraction of WC stars tends to increase toward the center of 30 Dor, while WN8-10 and WN2-5 stars show no preference for the 30 Dor core. Assuming coeval star formation and that WC stars are more evolved than WN stars, the young age of the central cluster implies that the WNL stars must have evolved from very massive progenitors and that the WC stars came from even more massive stars. The visual multiple system R140 in the nebula contains at least three W-R stars, one of type WC5 and the others of type WNL. Using the currently claimed smaller distance modulus 18.2 of the LMC, the absolute visual magnitudes of the W-R stars in the 30 Dor central cluster are found to be similar to those of their Galactic counterparts. 48 references.

• Research Organization: Montreal Universite, Canada; CONICET, Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Observatorio Interamericano de Cerro Tololo, La Serena, Chile; Washburn Observatory, Madison, WI; Universitaets-Sternwarte, Bonn, West Germany
• OSTI ID: 6398589
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 312
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGELLANIC CLOUDS
H2 REGIONS
WOLF-RAYET STARS
BINARY STARS
MASS
NEBULAE
RADIAL VELOCITY
SPECTROPHOTOMETRY
STAR EVOLUTION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
GALAXIES
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
STARS
VELOCITY
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies
640102 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources