Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2004-01-20
Astrophys.J. 607 (2004) 451-459
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
28 pages, 8 figures, accepted by ApJ; minor revisions prior to acceptance
Scientific paper
10.1086/383306
Ultraviolet spectra from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) are used to determine terminal velocities for 11 O and B-type giants and supergiants in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) from the Si IV and C IV resonance lines. Using archival data from observations with the Goddard High-Resolution Spectrograph and the International Ultraviolet Explorer telescope, terminal velocities are obtained for a further five B-type supergiants. We discuss the metallicity dependence of stellar terminal velocities, finding no evidence for a significant scaling between Galactic and SMC metallicities for Teff < 30,000 K, consistent with the predictions of radiation driven wind theory for supergiant stars. A comparison of the $v_\infty / v_{esc}$ ratio between the SMC and Galactic samples, while consistent with the above statement, emphasizes that the uncertainties in the distances to galactic O-stars are a serious obstacle to a detailed comparison with theory. For the SMC sample there is considerable scatter in this ratio at a given effective temperature, perhaps indicative of uncertainties in stellar masses.
Evans John C. Jr.
Heap Sally R.
Lennon Daniel J.
Lindler Don J.
Trundle Carrie
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