scholarly journals Far-infrared circumstellar debris shells: Clues to the evolution of massive stars?

1989 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 293-294
Author(s):  
R.E. Stencel ◽  
C.D. Garmany

Abstract:A survey of the infrared properties of late-type supergiant stars, using the IRAS database, reveals that about 25% of the stars possess resolved, extended circumstellar shells. These shells are typically several arc minutes in apparent size and therefore on the scale of parsecs at the source. Furthermore, among the resolved sources, there is an inverse correlation between physical size of the infrared shell and B-V color, suggesting that these shells are formed while the objects are red supergiants, but continue to expand ballistically, while the star evolves blueward from that extreme. These shells may be the material swept up into ring nebulae when the central star develops a fast wind.

1993 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 139-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
You-Hua Chu

Planetary nebulae (PNe) and ring nebulae around massive stars are not just superficially similar in morphologies. For massive stars that evolve through red supergiant phase, the final fast wind would sweep up the slow red supergiant wind and form a bubble of stellar material, reminiscing the two-wind formation of a PN. Sometimes it can be really difficult to determine whether the central star of a ring nebula is a PN nucleus or a Pop I massive star. Parallel studies of PNe and ring nebulae around massive stars can greatly benefit each other.


2000 ◽  
Vol 177 ◽  
pp. 425-432
Author(s):  
Hideyuki Izumiura ◽  
L.B.F.M. Waters ◽  
T. De Jong ◽  
C. Loup ◽  
O. Hashimoto

We investigate the structure of extended dust shells around optical carbon stars in the far-infrared and in optical light. In the optical we have discovered that R Scl and U Ant are associated with circularly extended emission, the radii of which are about 20″ and 58″, respectively. The emission is probably scattered light of the central star by dust grains in their circumstellar shells. In the far-infrared we have discovered a double shell structure surrounding U Ant in high resolution IRAS images, which is direct evidence of a periodic change of mass-loss on a time-scale of the order of 104 years in the AGB evolution. Relating the two shells to two consecutive thermal pulses allows for a self-consistent determination of the interpulse period, core-mass, luminosity, and distance. Direct mapping of Y CVn at 90 and 160 μm with ISOPHOT on board ISO has revealed a very extended detached dust shell around this star. The mass-loss rate is found to have decreased drastically by two orders of magnitude 1.4×104 years ago, which should be an important clue to the understanding of J-type stars.


1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 358-358
Author(s):  
M. Parthasarathy

SAO 244567 (Henl357) (IRAS 17119-5926) is a high galactic latitude (1 = 331°, b = −12°) early type star, originally classified as a B or A type H-alpha emission line star by Henize (1976). It is an IRAS source with far infrared colours similar to planetary nebulae. The IUE ultraviolet spectra obtained during the last eight years show that the central star is rapidly evolving. It is found that the central star of this young PN has faded by a factor of 3 within the last seven eight years. The terminal velocity of the stellar wind has decreased from −3500 km/sec in 1988 to almost zero in 1994. In 1988 the C IV (1550A) line which was a P-Cygni profile with strong absorption component had almost vanished by 1994. The CIII] 1909A emission strength increased markedly within 4 years from 1988 to 1992. The optical spectra obtained since 1990 shows very clearly only the nebular spectrum which is very similar to that of low excitation planetary nebula. The optical spectrum of SAO 244567 obtained in 1971 shows that it was a post-AGB B 1 or B2 supergiant at that time. This result shows that SAO 244567 has turned into a planetary nebula within the last 20 years. Recently Bobrowsky (1994) obtained narrowband optically resolved images in both H-beta and [OIII] 5007A with the HST planetary camera which revealed a well resolved nebula of size 2 seconds of arc. In this paper we discuss the recent new results.


Author(s):  
John J Eldridge

The study of the stars that explode as supernovae used to be a forensic study, working backwards from the remnants of the star. This changed in 1987 when the first progenitor star was identified in pre-explosion images. Currently, there are eight detected progenitors with another 21 non-detections, for which only a limit on the pre-explosion luminosity can be placed. This new avenue of supernova research has led to many interesting conclusions, most importantly that the progenitors of the most common supernovae, type IIP, are red supergiants, as theory has long predicted. However, no progenitors have been detected thus far for the hydrogen-free type Ib/c supernovae, which, given the expected progenitors, is an unlikely result. Also, observations have begun to show evidence that luminous blue variables, which are among the most massive stars, may directly explode as supernovae. These results contradict the current stellar evolution theory. This suggests that we may need to update our understanding.


2003 ◽  
Vol 126 (6) ◽  
pp. 2867-2886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Massey ◽  
K. A. G. Olsen

1987 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 99-100
Author(s):  
P.S. Thé ◽  
D. N. Dawanas

Intermediate mass (2 < M/M⊙ < 9) pre-main sequence objects, also named Herbig Ae/Be stars, are known to have excess radiation in the near-infrared. From IRAS o bservations it turns out without doubt (quality 3, high S/N radio), that these objects are very strong far-infrared emitters at 12, 25, 60 and often also at 100 μm. The spectral energy distribution, depicted in Fig. 1 for intermediate mass pre-main sequence stars, show clearly this large excess. From the difference curves it is apparent that this excess radiation is most probably caused by several dust shells. Using very simplified methods it is possible to derive the average temperature of the dust shells (see Thé, Wesselius, Tjin A Djie and Steenman, 1986). If the chemical composition of the mixture of the dust grains and their average size are assumed it is also possible to estimate other characteristics like the distance from the central star and the mass of the dust shells (see Thé, Hageman, Westerlund, Tjin A Djie, 1985).


1989 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 411-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. D. Kahn

According to the multiple winds model a planetary nebula forms as the result of the interaction of a fast wind from the central star with the superwind that had previously been emitted by the progenitor star. The basic theory which deals with the spherically symmetrical case is briefly summarised. Various improvements are then considered in turn. A better history is clearly needed of the way that the central star becomes hotter, it is unrealistic to make the assumption that the superwind is spherically symmetrical, and finally there are likely to be important instabilities at some of the interfaces in the PN, notably that between the shocked superwind and the HII layer. These changes in the theoretical description produce a better understanding of the conditions in the outer parts of a PN and of the nature of its general shape, and they should lead to an explanation for the occurrence of high speed motions, and of highly ionized species and high excitation spectral lines.


1981 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 283-287
Author(s):  
A. Maeder

We have calculated evolutionary models of massive stars in the range 15-120 Mʘ from the zero-age sequence up to the end of the carbon burning stage (Maeder, 1981). Three sets of models with different mass loss rates Ṁ have been computed; the adopted parametrisation of Ṁ is fitted on the observations and thus the expression for Ṁ differs according to the location of the stars in the HRD.In this short note we concentrate on the location of the He-burning stars in the HRD. The helium burning phase, which lasts 8 to 10% of the MS phase, is spent mainly as red supergiants (RSG) and as WR stars (note that for low mass loss, the time spent as A-G supergiants becomes longer).


1980 ◽  
Vol 50 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1127-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Pratt ◽  
Ranald R. Macdonald

The brightness of colors in a number of paintings by Francis Pratt appeared to vary as a function of the viewing distance. These pictures were composed of narrow strips of different colors varying in brightness and saturation. Five experiments were undertaken to replicate and study this effect under controlled conditions using heterochromatic brightness matching of various pairs of colored stimuli. The subjects were first-year students in psychology, participating as a course requirement. The number of subjects varied in the different experiments, between 6 and 9. The relative brightness of blue as compared to red, orange, and yellow-green varied as a function of viewing distance. The relative brightness of the blue decreased as distance increased. By varying the physical size of the stimuli it was possible to keep the angle subtended at the retina constant for two distances and the effect remained. Any explanation must therefore account for the finding that the effect is not due to the apparent size of the stimuli.


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