The Rich and the Poor: Wolf-Rayet Star Populations in Different Chemical Environments

Details The Rich and the Poor: Wolf-Rayet Star Populations in Different Chemical Environments The Rich and the Poor: Wolf-Rayet Star Populations in Different Chemical Environments

Sep 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004sptz.prop.3185l&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #3185

Mathematics

Logic

Scientific paper

Wolf-Rayet stars are thought to be a late phase in the evolution of massive stars when the end products of nuclear burning are exposed on the stellar surface. The combination of high luminosities, peculiar chemical abundances, and strong stellar winds generate characteristic spectral signatures that make even few Wolf-Rayet stars detectable out to cosmological distances. Our goal is to document the stellar wind properties of a carefully selected sample of Wolf-Rayet stars, quantify the dependence of the wind parameters on the environment, and study the ramifications on the fields of stellar wind theory, stellar evolution, and stellar population synthesis. We propose to obtain IRS SH, SL, and LL spectroscopy of the complete WNE population in the SMC, together with a control sample in the Milky Way. The Milky Way sample is well studied at all relevant wavelengths, including the radio, and allows us to cross-calibrate the mid-IR data. The SMC sample, although small, is representative of the Wolf-Rayet content of low-luminosity starburst galaxies, such as I Zw 18. The mid-IR continuum will provide wind density parameters, such as mass-loss rate and homegeneity. The emission-line spectrum will be used to constrain the velocity field, the ionization balance, and the wind chemistry. The results of our study will allow us to address several astrophysical and cosmological issues: (i) Do the wind properties of Wolf-Rayet stars differ in metal-poor and metal-rich environments? (ii) Are mid-IR mass-loss rates consistent with other wavelengths, and/or do they support significant wind clumping? (iii) Are all low-metallicity Wolf-Rayet stars binary systems? (iv) Are the observed Wolf-Rayet properties consistent with those adopted in current stellar evolution models? (v) Can we rely on metal-poor Wolf-Rayet stars as tracers of massive stars in distant Lyman-break galaxies?

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The Rich and the Poor: Wolf-Rayet Star Populations in Different Chemical Environments does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The Rich and the Poor: Wolf-Rayet Star Populations in Different Chemical Environments, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Rich and the Poor: Wolf-Rayet Star Populations in Different Chemical Environments will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1823707