Physics – Atomic Physics
Scientific paper
May 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994aas...184.3108m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, 184th AAS Meeting, #31.08; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 26, p.909
Physics
Atomic Physics
Scientific paper
We investigate the effects of X-rays on the ionization state of stellar winds for O and early-B stars along the main-sequence. In our investigation, detailed statistical equilibrium, radiative transfer, and atomic physics models are used to compute ionization distributions for H, He, C, N, O, and Si. X-rays are modeled as a spatially-distributed source within the wind, with parameters constrained by ROSAT and Einstein observations. Our results indicate that the ionization balance in the winds of stars with spectral type B0 V and later is significantly altered by the X-ray radiation field. Unlike the case of denser O star winds, where the X-rays tend to perturb the level of ionization, the ionization state of the bulk wind of early-B stars can be significantly increased by soft X-rays. We examine in detail the case of tau Sco (B0 V), which has been well-studied at UV and X-ray wavelengths. Comparisons are made between calculated ionization fractions and those deduced from UV observations. In addition, we address the sensitivity of our results to the X-ray source characteristics, the wind temperature, and the photospheric EUV flux. Our results suggest the possibility that for early-B stars X-rays play a critical role in both influencing the radiation line driving force, as well as ionizing and heating the wind all the way down to the top of the photosphere.
Cohen David H.
MacFarlane Joseph J.
Wang Pei
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