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We report the first-ever discovery of a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star in the Large Magellanic Cloud via detection of a circular shell with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Follow-up observations with Gemini-South resolved the central star of the shell into two components separated from each other by a parts per thousand 2 arcsec (or a parts per thousand 0.5 pc in projection). One of these components turns out to be a WN3 star with H and He lines both in emission and absorption (we named it BAT99 3a using the numbering system based on extending the Breysacher et al. catalogue). Spectroscopy of the second component showed that it is a B0 V star. Subsequent spectroscopic observations of BAT99 3a with the du Pont 2.5-m telescope and the Southern African Large Telescope revealed that it is a close, eccentric binary system, and that the absorption lines are associated with an O companion star. We analysed the spectrum of the binary system using the non-LTE Potsdam WR (powr) code, confirming that the WR component is a very hot (a parts per thousand 90 kK) WN star. For this star, we derived a luminosity of log L/ L-aS (TM) = 5.45 and a mass-loss rate of 10(- 5.8) M-aS (TM) yr(- 1), and found that the stellar wind composition is dominated by helium with 20 per cent of hydrogen. Spectroscopy of the shell revealed an He iii region centred on BAT99 3a and having the same angular radius (a parts per thousand 15 arcsec) as the shell. We thereby add a new example to a rare class of high-excitation nebulae photoionized by WR stars. Analysis of the nebular spectrum showed that the shell is composed of unprocessed material, implying that the shell was swept-up from the local interstellar medium. We discuss the physical relationship between the newly identified massive stars and their possible membership of a previously unrecognized star cluster.
Context. Metal-poor massive stars are assumed to be progenitors of certain supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and compact object mergers that might contribute to the early epochs of the Universe with their strong ionizing radiation. However, this assumption remains mainly theoretical because individual spectroscopic observations of such objects have rarely been carried out below the metallicity of the Small Magellanic Cloud. Aims. Here we explore the predictions of the state-of-the-art theories of stellar evolution combined with those of stellar atmospheres about a certain type of metal-poor (0.02 Z(circle dot)) hot massive stars, the chemically homogeneously evolving stars that we call Transparent Wind Ultraviolet INtense (TWUIN) stars. Methods. We computed synthetic spectra corresponding to a broad range in masses (20 130 M-circle dot) and covering several evolutionary phases from the zero-age main-sequence up to the core helium-burning stage. We investigated the influence of mass loss and wind clumping on spectral appearance and classified the spectra according to the Morgan-Keenan (MK) system. Results. We find that TWUIN stars show almost no emission lines during most of their core hydrogen-burning lifetimes. Most metal lines are completely absent, including nitrogen. During their core helium-burning stage, lines switch to emission, and even some metal lines (oxygen and carbon, but still almost no nitrogen) are detected. Mass loss and clumping play a significant role in line formation in later evolutionary phases, particularly during core helium-burning. Most of our spectra are classified as an early-O type giant or supergiant, and we find Wolf-Rayet stars of type WO in the core helium-burning phase. Conclusions. An extremely hot, early-O type star observed in a low-metallicity galaxy could be the result of chemically homogeneous evolution and might therefore be the progenitor of a long-duration gamma-ray burst or a type Ic supernova. TWUIN stars may play an important role in reionizing the Universe because they are hot without showing prominent emission lines during most of their lifetime.
In the last decades, stellar atmosphere codes have become a key tool in understanding massive stars, including precise calculations of stellar and wind parameters, such as temperature, massloss rate, and terminal wind velocity. Nevertheless, for these models the hydrodynamic equation is not solved in the wind. Motivated by the results of the CAK theory, the models typically use a beta velocity law, which however turns out not to be adequate for stars with very strong winds, and treat the mass-loss rate as a free parameter. In a new branch of the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet model atmosphere (PoWR) code, we solve the hydrodynamic equation consistently throughout the stellar atmosphere. The PoWR code performs the calculation of the radiative force without approximations (e.g. Sobolev). We show the impact of hydrodynamically consistent modelling on OB and WR stars in comparison to conventional models and discuss the obtained velocity fields and their impact on the observed spectral lines.
Macroclumping in WR 136
(2015)
Macroclumping proved to resolve the discordance between different mass-loss rate diagnostics for O-type stars, in particular between Hα and the P v resonance lines. In this paper, we report first results from a corresponding investigation for WR stars. We apply our detailed 3-D Monte Carlo (MC) line formation code to the P v resonance doublet and show, for the Galactic WNL star WR136, that macroclumping is require to bring this line in accordance with the mass-loss rate derived from the emission-line spectrum.
Context. Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars have a severe impact on their environments owing to their strong ionizing radiation fields and powerful stellar winds. Since these winds are considered to be driven by radiation pressure, it is theoretically expected that the degree of the wind mass-loss depends on the initial metallicity of WR stars.
Aims. Following our comprehensive studies of WR stars in the Milky Way, M31, and the LMC, we derive stellar parameters and mass-loss rates for all seven putatively single WN stars known in the SMC. Based on these data, we discuss the impact of a low-metallicity environment on the mass loss and evolution of WR stars.
Methods. The quantitative analysis of the WN stars is performed with the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmosphere code. The physical properties of our program stars are obtained from fitting synthetic spectra to multi-band observations.
Results. In all SMC WN stars, a considerable surface hydrogen abundance is detectable. The majority of these objects have stellar temperatures exceeding 75 kK, while their luminosities range from 10(5.5) to 10(6.1) L-circle dot. The WN stars in the SMC exhibit on average lower mass-loss rates and weaker winds than their counterparts in the Milky Way, M31, and the LMC.
Conclusions. By comparing the mass-loss rates derived for WN stars in different Local Group galaxies, we conclude that a clear dependence of the wind mass-loss on the initial metallicity is evident, supporting the current paradigm that WR winds are driven by radiation. A metallicity effect on the evolution of massive stars is obvious from the HRD positions of the SMC WN stars at high temperatures and high luminosities. Standard evolution tracks are not able to reproduce these parameters and the observed surface hydrogen abundances. Homogeneous evolution might provide a better explanation for their evolutionary past.
Context. HD 93129A was classified as the earliest O-type star in the Galaxy (O2 If*) and is considered as the prototype of its spectral class. However, interferometry shows that this object is a binary system, while recent observations even suggest a triple configuration. None of the previous spectral analyses of this object accounted for its multiplicity. With new high-resolution UV and optical spectra, we have the possibility to reanalyze this key object, taking its binary nature into account for the first time. Aims. We aim to derive the fundamental parameters and the evolutionary status of HD 93129A, identifying the contributions of both components to the composite spectrum Results. Despite the similar spectral types of the two components, we are able to find signatures from each of the components in the combined spectrum, which allows us to estimate the parameters of both stars. We derive log(L/L-circle dot) = 6.15, T-eff = 52 kK, and log (M)over dot = -4.7[M-circle dot yr(-1)] for the primary Aa, and log(L/L-circle dot) = 5.58, T-eff = 45 kK, and log (M)over dot = -5.8 [M(circle dot)yr(-1)] for the secondary Ab. Conclusions. Even when accounting for the binary nature, the primary of HD 93129A is found to be one of the hottest and most luminous O stars in our Galaxy. Based on the theoretical decomposition of the spectra, we assign spectral types O2 If* and O3 III(f*) to components Aa and Ab, respectively. While we achieve a good fit for a wide spectral range, specific spectral features are not fully reproduced. The data are not sufficient to identify contributions from a hypothetical third component in the system.
Context. Clusters or associations of early-type stars are often associated with a "superbubble" of hot gas. The formation of such superbubbles is caused by the feedback from massive stars. The complex N206 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) exhibits a superbubble and a rich massive star population. Aims. Our goal is to perform quantitative spectral analyses of all massive stars associated with the N206 superbubble in order to determine their stellar and wind parameters. We compare the superbubble energy budget to the stellar energy input and discuss the star formation history of the region. Results. We present the stellar and wind parameters of the OB stars and the two Wolf-Rayet (WR) binaries in the N206 complex. Twelve percent of the sample show Oe/Be type emission lines, although most of them appear to rotate far below critical. We found eight runaway stars based on their radial velocity. The wind-momentum luminosity relation of our OB sample is consistent with the expectations. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) of the OB stars reveals a large age spread (1-30 Myr), suggesting different episodes of star formation in the complex. The youngest stars are concentrated in the inner part of the complex, while the older OB stars are scattered over outer regions. We derived the present day mass function for the entire N206 complex as well as for the cluster NGC2018. The total ionizing photon flux produced by all massive stars in the N206 complex is Q(0) approximate to 5 x 10(50) s(-1), and the mechanical luminosity of their stellar winds amounts to L-mec = 1.7 x 10(38) erg s(-1). Three very massive Of stars are found to dominate the feedback among 164 OB stars in the sample. The two WR winds alone release about as much mechanical luminosity as the whole OB star sample. The cumulative mechanical feedback from all massive stellar winds is comparable to the combined mechanical energy of the supernova explosions that likely occurred in the complex. Accounting also for the WR wind and supernovae, the mechanical input over the last five Myr is approximate to 2.3 x 10(52) erg. Conclusions. The N206 complex in the LMC has undergone star formation episodes since more than 30 Myr ago. From the spectral analyses of its massive star population, we derive a current star formation rate of 2.2 x 10(-3) M-circle dot yr(-1). From the combined input of mechanical energy from all stellar winds, only a minor fraction is emitted in the form of X-rays. The corresponding input accumulated over a long time also exceeds the current energy content of the complex by more than a factor of five. The morphology of the complex suggests a leakage of hot gas from the superbubble.
Context. For more than two decades, stellar atmosphere codes have been used to derive the stellar and wind parameters of massive stars. Although they have become a powerful tool and sufficiently reproduce the observed spectral appearance, they can hardly be used for more than measuring parameters. One major obstacle is their inconsistency between the calculated radiation field and the wind stratification due to the usage of prescribed mass-loss rates and wind-velocity fields. Aims. We present the concepts for a new generation of hydrodynamically consistent non-local thermodynamical equilibrium (nonLTE) stellar atmosphere models that allow for detailed studies of radiation-driven stellar winds. As a first demonstration, this new kind of model is applied to a massive O star. Methods. Based on earlier works, the PoWR code has been extended with the option to consistently solve the hydrodynamic equation together with the statistical equations and the radiative transfer in order to obtain a hydrodynamically consistent atmosphere stratification. In these models, the whole velocity field is iteratively updated together with an adjustment of the mass-loss rate. Results. The concepts for obtaining hydrodynamically consistent models using a comoving-frame radiative transfer are outlined. To provide a useful benchmark, we present a demonstration model, which was motivated to describe the well-studied O4 supergiant zeta Pup. The obtained stellar and wind parameters are within the current range of literature values. Conclusions. For the first time, the PoWR code has been used to obtain a hydrodynamically consistent model for a massive O star. This has been achieved by a profound revision of earlier concepts used for Wolf-Rayet stars. The velocity field is shaped by various elements contributing to the radiative acceleration, especially in the outer wind. The results further indicate that for more dense winds deviations from a standard beta-law occur.
Context. Spectroscopic analysis remains the most common method to derive masses of massive stars, the most fundamental stellar parameter. While binary orbits and stellar pulsations can provide much sharper constraints on the stellar mass, these methods are only rarely applicable to massive stars. Unfortunately, spectroscopic masses of massive stars heavily depend on the detailed physics of model atmospheres.
Aims. We demonstrate the impact of a consistent treatment of the radiative pressure on inferred gravities and spectroscopic masses of massive stars. Specifically, we investigate the contribution of line and continuum transitions to the photospheric radiative pressure. We further explore the effect of model parameters, e.g., abundances, on the deduced spectroscopic mass. Lastly, we compare our results with the plane-parallel TLUSTY code, commonly used for the analysis of massive stars with photospheric spectra.
Methods. We calculate a small set of O-star models with the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) code using different approaches for the quasi-hydrostatic part. These models allow us to quantify the effect of accounting for the radiative pressure consistently. We further use PoWR models to show how the Doppler widths of line profiles and abundances of elements such as iron affect the radiative pressure, and, as a consequence, the derived spectroscopic masses.
Results. Our study implies that errors on the order of a factor of two in the inferred spectroscopic mass are to be expected when neglecting the contribution of line and continuum transitions to the radiative acceleration in the photosphere. Usage of implausible microturbulent velocities, or the neglect of important opacity sources such as Fe, may result in errors of approximately 50% in the spectroscopic mass. A comparison with TLUSTY model atmospheres reveals a very good agreement with PoWR at the limit of low mass-loss rates.
We present new grids of Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmospheres for Wolf-Rayet stars of the nitrogen sequence (WN stars). The models have been calculated with the latest version of the PoWR stellar atmosphere code for spherical stellar winds. The WN model atmospheres include the non-LTE solutions of the statistical equations for complex model atoms, as well as the radiative transfer equation in the co-moving frame. Iron-line blanketing is treated with the help of the superlevel approach, while wind inhomogeneities are taken into account via optically thin clumps. Three of our model grids are appropriate for Galactic metallicity. The hydrogen mass fraction of these grids is 50%, 20%, and 0%, thus also covering the hydrogen-rich late-type WR stars that have been discovered in recent years. Three grids are adequate for LMC WN stars and have hydrogen fractions of 40%, 20%, and 0%. Recently, additional grids with SMC metallicity and with 60%, 40%, 20%, and 0% hydrogen have been added. We provide contour plots of the equivalent widths of spectral lines that are usually used for classification and diagnostics.