scholarly journals Properties of hot massive stars from studies of their ring nebulae

1995 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 24-33
Author(s):  
Linda J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Flux Distribution ◽  
Chemical Processes ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Luminous Blue Variables ◽  
The Past ◽  
Effective Temperatures ◽  
Wr Nebulae ◽  
Emission Studies ◽  
Ring Nebulae ◽  
Central Stars

Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars and their possible precursors, the Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs), are often surrounded by ring nebulae. It is believed that these nebulae are formed by the action of the stellar wind, matter being ejected from the star in the past, or a combination of these two processes. The various research applications of LBV and WR nebulae are reviewed with regard to the information they provide on the properties of the central stars. They are very useful probes of stellar evolution since the details of the previous evolutionary phases of the central stars are contained in the nebulae. In particular, abundance studies can provide insights into the chemical processes operating during the precursor phases. The nebulae can also be used as probes of the far-UV ionizing flux distribution of the central WR stars by comparing the observed levels of nebular ionization with those produced with non-LTE WR model flux distributions. Comparisons of stellar effective temperatures and luminosities derived using this technique with those determined by modelling stellar emission lines can identify deficiencies such as the lack of line-blanketing in WR model atmospheres. Very hot WR stars can also be identified by searching for nebular HeII emission. Studies of bipolar structures in LBV and WR nebulae provide valuable clues on wind asymmetries in the central stars.

scholarly journals Ring Nebulae Around Massive Stars

1991 ◽  
Vol 143 ◽  
pp. 349-364
Author(s):  
You-Hua Chu
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Spectral Properties ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
Ambient Medium ◽  
Stellar Winds ◽  
Luminous Blue Variables ◽  
Stellar Properties ◽  
Ring Nebulae ◽  
Central Stars ◽  
Temperature Correlations

Ring nebulae have been found around WR stars, OB and Of stars, and luminous blue variables. Ring nebulae are formed by the interaction between the central stars and their ambient medium via different combinations of stellar winds, ejecta, and radiation. The spectral properties of the nebulae can be used to diagnose the stellar properties, such as luminosity and effective temperature. Correlations between ring nebulae and their central stars may be used to check scenarios of stellar evolution.

scholarly journals Sakurai’s Object: Constraints from its Variability?

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 360-360
Author(s):  
T. Gautschy ◽  
H.W. Duerbeck ◽  
A.M. Van Genderen ◽  
S. Benetti
Keyword(s):  
Cooling Rate ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Stability Analyses ◽  
The Past ◽  
Stellar Pulsations ◽  
First Results ◽  
Effective Temperatures ◽  
Stellar Envelopes ◽  
Light Variability ◽  
Hr Diagram

The peculiar outburst of the star baptized Sakurai’s Object (SO) is a conceivable example of a late He shell flash in a post-AGB object. The new source of nuclear energy forces such objects toward high luminosities and eventually low effective temperatures; they cross the HR diagram in a comparable fashion as FG Sge did in the past - i.e., they move noticeably on the HR diagram on human timescales. From monitoring campaigns of SO during the last year, first estimates of its cooling rate were derived and in particular cyclic light variability was established. We present first results from attempts to model stellar envelopes appropriate for SO. As we hypothesize the light variability to be attributable to stellar pulsations, we aim at constraining the basic stellar parameters based on stability analyses of our envelope models. Radial, nonadiabatic stability computations provided predictions of the modal content which should be observable as SO evolves. The particular components in such mode spectra of SO as they are to appear in the coming years should indeed help to constrain basic stellar parameters such as mass and luminosity.

Ore textures: problems and opportunities

1991 ◽  
Vol 55 (380) ◽  
pp. 303-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Barton
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Chemical Processes ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Textural Features ◽  
The Past ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Scientific Endeavour

AbstractOver the past several decades, thinking about chemical processes in rocks had been dominated by experimental and theoretical treatments of mineral equilibrium, which is the state from which the time variable has been excluded. But, to an extent exceeding that of any of our sister sciences, we in geology are concerned with the behaviour of things as a function of time; thus equilibrium is but one of several interesting boundary conditions. Textures, (defined as the spatial relations within and among minerals and fluids, regardless of scale or origin) provide a means to sort out and identify successive states. In fact, it is the pattern of evolution of those states that enables us to deduce the processes. We may well draw the analogy with thermodynamics and kinetics, respectively:equilibrium textures and phase assemblages, via thermodynamic analysis → definition of conditions of equilibration,whereaskinetics, as displayed in disequilibrium textures → sequence of events and processes of mineralization.The interpretation of textures is one of the most difficult yet important aspects of the study of rocks and ores, and there are few areas of scientific endeavour that are more subject to misinterpretation. Although the difficulties are many, the opportunites for new understanding are also abundant. Textural interpretations have many facets: some are well established and accepted; some that are accepted may be wrong; others are recognised to be speculative and controversial; and we trust that still other textural features remain to be described and interpreted. This paper will deal principally with low-temperature, epigenetic ore deposits, and will emphasise silica and sphalerite; but extension to other materials is not unreasonable.Ore and gangue minerals react internally, or with their environment, at widely ranging rates, ranging from the almost inert pyrite, arsenopyrite, well-crystallised quartz, and tourmaline to the notoriously fickle copper/iron and copper/silver sulfides. Arrested or incomplete reactions may be identifed by textural criteria and, when appropriately quantified, can provide guides to the duration of geological processes.In recent years so much emphasis has been placed on isotopes, fluids, chemistry, and deposit and process models that the textural features have been ignored. In part this oversight occurs because we have grown accustomed to using superposition, cross-cutting, pseudomorphism, mutual intergrowths, exsolution and so on as off-the-shelf tools, to be grasped and applied without evaluation or even description. Surely science must build on previous work without constant and exhaustive reassessment, but for mineral textures a little reassessment may yield substantial benefit.

scholarly journals Twenty years of observations of PM 1-188: Its chemical abundances and extraordinary kinematics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Peña ◽  
Liliana Hernández-Martínez ◽  
Francisco Ruiz-Escobedo
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Planetary Nebula ◽  
Central Star ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Type I ◽  
Chemical Abundances ◽  
Line Intensities ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Spectrophotometric Data

Abstract The analysis of 20 years of spectrophotometric data of the double shell planetary nebula PM 1-188 is presented, aiming to determine the time evolution of the emission lines and the physical conditions of the nebula, as a consequence of the systematic fading of its [WC 10] central star whose brightness has declined by about 10 mag in the past 40 years. Our main results include that the [O iii], [O ii], [N ii] line intensities are increasing with time in the inner nebula as a consequence of an increase in electron temperature from 11 000 K in 2005 to more than 14 000 K in 2018, due to shocks. The intensity of the same lines are decreasing in the outer nebula, due to a decrease in temperature, from 13 000 K to 7000 K, in the same period. The chemical composition of the inner and outer shells was derived and they are similar. Both nebulae present subsolar O, S and Ar abundances, while they are He, N and Ne rich. For the outer nebula the values are 12+log He/H = 11.13 ± 0.05, 12+log O/H = 8.04 ± 0.04, 12+log N/H = 7.87 ± 0.06, 12+log S/H = 7.18 ± 0.10 and 12+log Ar = 5.33 ± 0.16. The O, S and Ar abundances are several times lower than the average values found in disc non-Type I PNe, and are reminiscent of some halo PNe. From high resolution spectra, an outflow in the N-S direction was found in the inner zone. Position-velocity diagrams show that the outflow expands at velocities in the −150 to 100 km s−1 range, and both shells have expansion velocities of about 40 km s−1.

scholarly journals Central Star and Nebular Masses for Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae

1989 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 355-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Monk ◽  
M. J. Barlow ◽  
R. E. S. Clegg
Keyword(s):  
Planetary Nebulae ◽  
Central Star ◽  
Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Effective Temperatures ◽  
Central Stars

AAT and IUE spectra of thirteen medium-excitation Magellanic Cloud planetary nebulae have been used to derive H I Zanstra effective temperatures and surface gravities for the central stars.

scholarly journals Concerning the Temperatures of Central Stars of Planetary Nebulae

1983 ◽  
Vol 103 ◽  
pp. 534-535
Author(s):  
L. Kohoutek ◽  
W. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Effective Temperature ◽  
Planetary Nebulae ◽  
Photoelectric Photometry ◽  
Effective Temperatures ◽  
Central Stars

Recently Pottasch (1981, Astron. Astrophys. 94, L13) published extremely high effective temperatures of some central stars of planetary nebulae (> 200 000 K). Our study of planetary nebulae based on photoelectric photometry does not confirm his results. A histogram of Tz(HI) and Tz(HeII) shows smooth distribution of Tz with the maximum of about 48 000°K (HI) and 90 000°K (HeII), respectively; the effective temperature of none of the 62 planetary nuclei exceeds 120 000°K.

scholarly journals Molecular gas around the Wolf-Rayet star WR 18 (WN4)

2003 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 732-733
Author(s):  
Anthony P. Marston
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Optical Emission ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Molecular Gas ◽  
Evolved Stars ◽  
Ring Nebula ◽  
History Of ◽  
Optical Ring ◽  
Ring Nebulae ◽  
Rayet Star

Optically observed ring nebulae and H i cavities around Wolf-Rayet stars have enabled us to obtain information on the history of mass-loss associated with these massive evolved stars. However, such studies have left a number of unanswered questions regarding the amount of mass-loss and the conditions of the stars during a sequence of mass-loss phases. Here we discuss the molecular gas environments of the WR star WR 18, which has an associated optical ring nebula NGC 3199. Our observations show that significant amounts of molecular gas appear close to and associated with the star. Mapping of molecular CO near the star shows that molecular materials appear to substantially avoid areas of optical emission and, instead, form a distorted clumpy shell interior to NGC 3199. Molecular emission lines are broader than lines seen in the interstellar medium and suggest the shell is composed of ejecta. This is further corroborated by the enhanced abundances of molecules containing C, N and O. Implications of the observations for the evolution of WR 18 are discussed.

scholarly journals Statistical Features of the Quiet Sun in EUV

2001 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 416-418
Author(s):  
A. Pauluhn ◽  
S. K. Solanki ◽  
I. Rüedi ◽  
E. Landi ◽  
U. Schühle
Keyword(s):  
Lognormal Distribution ◽  
Distribution Functions ◽  
Spectral Lines ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Statistical Features ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Quiet Sun ◽  
Euv Emission ◽  
The Past ◽  
Radiance Distribution

Frequency distributions of the intensities of EUV emission lines in the quiet Sun have in the past usually been modelled using two Gaussians. Here we test this and other distribution functions against observed distributions with exceptional statistics. The data were obtained in a number of spectral lines observed with CDS and SUMER. We show that the frequency distribution of the radiance is best modelled by a lognormal distribution. The fact that the radiance distribution of the quiet Sun including the network and the intranetwork is better reproduced by a single lognormal distribution function than by two Gaussians suggests that the same heating processes are acting in both types of features.

scholarly journals Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium line formation for Si i–ii–iii in A–B stars and the origin of Si ii emission lines in ι Her

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (4) ◽  
pp. 6095-6108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyudmila Mashonkina
Keyword(s):  
Thermodynamic Equilibrium ◽  
Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Atomic Data ◽  
Line Formation ◽  
Atmospheric Parameters ◽  
B Stars ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Effective Temperatures ◽  
Model Atom

ABSTRACT A comprehensive model atom was developed for Si i–ii–iii using the most up-to-date atomic data available so far. Based on non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) line formation for Si i, Si ii and Si iii and high-resolution observed spectra, we determined the NLTE abundances for a sample of nine unevolved A9–B3 type stars with well-determined atmospheric parameters. For each star, NLTE reduces the line-to-line scatter for Si ii substantially compared with the LTE case and leads to consistent mean abundances from lines of different ionization stages. In the hottest star of our sample, ι Her, Si ii is subject to overionization that drives emission in the lines arising from the high-excitation doublet levels. Our NLTE calculations reproduced 10 emission lines of Si ii observed in ι Her. The same overionization effect leads to greatly weakened Si ii lines, which are observed in absorption in ι Her. Large positive NLTE abundance corrections (up to 0.98 dex for 5055 Å) were useful for achieving consistent mean abundances from lines of the two ionization stages, Si ii and Si iii. It was found that NLTE effects are overestimated for the Si ii 6347, 6371 Å doublet in ι Her, while the new model atom works well for cooler stars. At this stage, we failed to understand this problem. We computed a grid of the NLTE abundance corrections for lines of Si i, Si ii and Si iii in model atmospheres with effective temperatures and surface gravities characteristic of unevolved A–B type stars.

scholarly journals The Statistical Equilibrium of H and He and the H/He Ratio in WR Stars

1984 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 88-91
Author(s):  
A.B. Underhill ◽  
A.K. Bhatia
Keyword(s):  
Electron Temperature ◽  
Statistical Equilibrium ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
General Distribution ◽  
Strong Emission ◽  
B Stars ◽  
Effective Temperatures ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Made In

The mixed selection of strong emission lines present in the spectra of WR stars suggests that we are observing plasma with an electron temperature of the order of 105 K somewhere in the atmospheres of these rare stars. In the spectra of some WR stars emission lines of H are detected; this suggests that plasma with an electron temperature of the order of 104 K may be present also. Since the observations made in the last 30 years show that the masses, luminosities, effective temperatures, and general distribution in space of WR stars are similar to those of stars with spectral types in the range from about B2 to O9, a prime question is why are the spectra of WR stars so different from those of the B stars with which they are associated.

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