A Survey of X-ray Emission from Wolf-Rayet Stars

Details A Survey of X-ray Emission from Wolf-Rayet Stars A Survey of X-ray Emission from Wolf-Rayet Stars

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21349120s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #491.20; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.470

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

3

Scientific paper

Previous X-ray studies of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars have focused mainly on WR binary systems whose luminous high-temperature X-ray emission is thought to originate (at least partially) in colliding wind shocks between the two stars. Much less is known about the X-ray emission of putatively single WR stars, for which evidence of binarity is lacking. We present new results from an ongoing X-ray survey of single WR stars conducted with Chandra and XMM-Newton. Our objectives are to quantify the X-ray properties of single WRs and identify plausible emission mechanisms.
Specifically, we would like to know if single WR stars emit predominantly soft X-rays (kT < 1 keV), as occurs in some O-type stars and is predicted for radiative wind shocks formed by the line-driven instability (LDI) mechanism. Observations to date have failed to detect any X-ray emission from single carbon-rich WC stars. In contrast, some nitrogen-rich WN stars have been detected.
Recent Chandra observations of both WR 2 (WN2) and WR 134 (WN6) reveal luminous X-ray emission (log Lx 32. erg/s) comparable
to that of some WR + OB binaries, including a hot plasma component (kT >> 1 keV). The presence of high-temperature plasma is not in agreement with the cool plasma expected for radiative wind shocks. Either these X-ray luminous WN stars harbor unseen companions or an alternative to the conventional LDI radiative wind shock model will be needed.
This research was supported by NASA grants GO8-9008X (SAO) and NNG05GA10G (GSFC).

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