@inproceedings{OPUS4-1574, title = {Clumping in hot-star winds : proceedings of an international workshop held in Potsdam, Germany, 18. - 22. June 2007}, editor = {Hamann, Wolf-Rainer and Feldmeier, Achim and Oskinova, Lida}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-940793-33-1}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-13981}, pages = {254}, year = {2007}, abstract = {Stellar winds play an important role for the evolution of massive stars and their cosmic environment. Multiple lines of evidence, coming from spectroscopy, polarimetry, variability, stellar ejecta, and hydrodynamic modeling, suggest that stellar winds are non-stationary and inhomogeneous. This is referred to as 'wind clumping'. The urgent need to understand this phenomenon is boosted by its far-reaching implications. Most importantly, all techniques to derive empirical mass-loss rates are more or less corrupted by wind clumping. Consequently, mass-loss rates are extremely uncertain. Within their range of uncertainty, completely different scenarios for the evolution of massive stars are obtained. Settling these questions for Galactic OB, LBV and Wolf-Rayet stars is prerequisite to understanding stellar clusters and galaxies, or predicting the properties of first-generation stars. In order to develop a consistent picture and understanding of clumped stellar winds, an international workshop on 'Clumping in Hot Star Winds' was held in Potsdam, Germany, from 18. - 22. June 2007. About 60 participants, comprising almost all leading experts in the field, gathered for one week of extensive exchange and discussion. The Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC) included John Brown (Glasgow), Joseph Cassinelli (Madison), Paul Crowther (Sheffield), Alex Fullerton (Baltimore), Wolf-Rainer Hamann (Potsdam, chair), Anthony Moffat (Montreal), Stan Owocki (Newark), and Joachim Puls (Munich). These proceedings contain the invited and contributed talks presented at the workshop, and document the extensive discussions.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Shenar2017, author = {Shenar, Tomer}, title = {Comprehensive analyses of massive binaries and implications on stellar evolution}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-104857}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {187}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Via their powerful radiation, stellar winds, and supernova explosions, massive stars (Mini \& 8 M☉) bear a tremendous impact on galactic evolution. It became clear in recent decades that the majority of massive stars reside in binary systems. This thesis sets as a goal to quantify the impact of binarity (i.e., the presence of a companion star) on massive stars. For this purpose, massive binary systems in the Local Group, including OB-type binaries, high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), and Wolf-Rayet (WR) binaries, were investigated by means of spectral, orbital, and evolutionary analyses. The spectral analyses were performed with the non-local thermodynamic equillibrium (non-LTE) Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmosphere code. Thanks to critical updates in the calculation of the hydrostatic layers, the code became a state-of-the-art tool applicable for all types of hot massive stars (Chapter 2). The eclipsing OB-type triple system δ Ori served as an intriguing test-case for the new version of the PoWR code, and provided key insights regarding the formation of X-rays in massive stars (Chapter 3). We further analyzed two prototypical HMXBs, Vela X-1 and IGR J17544-2619, and obtained fundamental conclusions regarding the dichotomy of two basic classes of HMXBs (Chapter 4). We performed an exhaustive analysis of the binary R 145 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which was claimed to host the most massive stars known. We were able to disentangle the spectrum of the system, and performed an orbital, polarimetric, and spectral analysis, as well as an analysis of the wind-wind collision region. The true masses of the binary components turned out to be significantly lower than suggested, impacting our understanding of the initial mass function and stellar evolution at low metallicity (Chapter 5). Finally, all known WR binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) were analyzed. Although it was theoretical predicted that virtually all WR stars in the SMC should be formed via mass-transfer in binaries, we find that binarity was not important for the formation of the known WR stars in the SMC, implying a strong discrepancy between theory and observations (Chapter 6).}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Liermann2009, author = {Liermann, Adriane}, title = {Massive stars in the Galactic Center Quintuplet cluster}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-37223}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2009}, abstract = {The presented thesis describes the observations of the Galactic center Quintuplet cluster, the spectral analysis of the cluster Wolf-Rayet stars of the nitrogen sequence to determine their fundamental stellar parameters, and discusses the obtained results in a general context. The Quintuplet cluster was discovered in one of the first infrared surveys of the Galactic center region (Okuda et al. 1987, 1989) and was observed for this project with the ESO-VLT near-infrared integral field instrument SINFONI-SPIFFI. The subsequent data reduction was performed in parts with a self-written pipeline to obtain flux-calibrated spectra of all objects detected in the imaged field of view. First results of the observation were compiled and published in a spectral catalog of 160 flux-calibrated \$K\$-band spectra in the range of 1.95 to 2.45\,\$\mu\$m, containing 85 early-type (OB) stars, 62 late-type (KM) stars, and 13 Wolf-Rayet stars. About 100 of these stars are cataloged for the first time. The main part of the thesis project was concentrated on the analysis of the WR stars of the nitrogen sequence and one further identified emission line star (Of/WN) with tailored Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) models for expanding atmospheres (Hamann et al. 1995) that are applied to derive the stellar parameters of these stars. For this purpose, the atomic input data of the PoWR models had to be extended by further line transitions in the near-infrared spectral range to enable adaequate model spectra to be calculated. These models were then fitted to the observed spectra, revealing typical paramters for this class of stars. A significant amount of hydrogen of up to \$X_\text{H} \sim 0.2\$ by mass fraction is still present in their stellar atmospheres. The stars are also found to be very luminous (\$\log{(L/L_\odot)} > 6.0\$) and show mass-loss rates and wind characteristics typical for radiation-driven winds. By comparison with stellar evolutionary models (Meynet \\& Maeder 2003a; Langer et al. 1994), the initial masses were estimated and indicate that the Quintuplet WN stars are descendants from the most massive O stars with \$M_\text{init} > 60 M_\odot\$ and their ages correspond to a cluster age of 3-5\,million years. The analysis of the individual WN stars revealed an average extinction of \$A_K =3.1 \pm 0.5\$\,mag (\$A_V = 27 \pm 4\$) towards the Quintuplet cluster. This extinction was applied to derive the stellar luminosities of the remaining early-type and late-type stars in the catalog and a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram could be compiled. Surprisingly, two stellar populations are found, a group of main sequence OB stars and a group of evolved late-type stars, i.e. red supergiants (RSG). The main sequence stars indicate a cluster age of 4 million years, which would be too young for red supergiants to be already present. A star formation event lasting for a few million years might possibly explain the Quintuplet's population and the cluster would still be considered coeval. However, the unexpected and simultaneous presence of red supergiants and Wolf-Rayet stars in the cluster points out that the details of star formation and cluster evolution are not yet well understood for the Quintuplet cluster.}, language = {en} }