On the influence of clumping on O and Wolf-Rayet spectra
- Overwhelming observational and theoretical evidence suggests that the winds of massive stars are highly clumped. We briefly discuss the influence of clumping on model diagnostics and the difficulties of allowing for the influence of clumping on model spectra. Because of its simplicity, and because of computational ease, most spectroscopic analyses incorporate clumping using the volume filling factor. The biases introduced by this approach are uncertain. To investigate alternative clumping models, and to help determine the validity of parameters derived using the volume filling factor method, we discuss results derived using an alternative model in which we assume that the wind is composed of optically thick shells.
