No Arabic abstract
We study the influence of clumping on the predicted wind structure of O-type stars. For this purpose we artificially include clumping into our stationary wind models. When the clumps are assumed to be optically thin, the radiative line force increases compared to corresponding unclumped models, with a similar effect on either the mass-loss rate or the terminal velocity (depending on the onset of clumping). Optically thick clumps, alternatively, might be able to decrease the radiative force.
The influence of the wind to the total continuum of OB supergiants is discussed. For wind velocity distributions with beta > 1.0, the wind can have strong influence to the total continuum emission, even at optical wavelengths. Comparing the continuum emission of clumped and unclumped winds, especially for stars with high beta values, delivers flux differences of up to 30% with maximum in the near-IR. Continuum observations at these wavelengths are therefore an ideal tool to discriminate between clumped and unclumped winds of OB supergiants.
In wind-powered X-ray binaries, the radiatively driven stellar wind from the primary may be inhibited by the X-ray irradiation. This creates the feedback that limits the X-ray luminosity of the compact secondary. Wind inhibition might be weakened by the effect of small-scale wind inhomogeneities (clumping) possibly affecting the limiting X-ray luminosity. We study the influence of X-ray irradiation on the stellar wind for different radial distributions of clumping. We calculate hot star wind models with external irradiation and clumping using our global wind code. The models are calculated for different parameters of the binary. We determine the parameters for which the X-ray wind ionization leads to a decrease of the radiative force. This causes a decrease of the wind velocity and even of the mass-loss rate in the case of extreme X-ray irradiation. Clumping weakens the effect of X-ray irradiation because it favours recombination and leads to an increase of the wind mass-loss rate. The best match between the models and observed properties of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB) is derived with radially variable clumping. We describe the influence of X-ray irradiation on the terminal velocity and on the mass-loss rate in a parametric way. The X-ray luminosities predicted within the Bondi theory agree nicely with observations when accounting for X-ray irradiation. The ionizing feedback regulates the accretion onto the compact companion resulting in a relatively stable X-ray source. The wind-powered accretion model can account for large luminosities in HMXBs only when introducing the ionizing feedback. There are two possible states following from the dependence of X-ray luminosity on the wind terminal velocity and mass-loss rate. One state has low X-ray luminosity and a nearly undisturbed wind, and the second state has high X-ray luminosity and exhibits a strong influence of X-rays on the flow.
Far-UV spectroscopy from the FUSE satellite is analysed to uniquely probe spatial structure and clumping in the fast wind of the central star of the H-rich planetary nebula NGC6543 (HD164963). Time-series data of the unsaturated PV 1118, 1128 resonance line P Cygni profiles provide a very sensitive diagnostic of variable wind conditions in the outflow. We report on the discovery of episodic and recurrent optical depth enhancements in the PV absorption troughs, with some evidence for a 0.17-day modulation time-scale. SEI line-synthesis modelling is used to derive physical properties, including the optical depth evolution of individual `events. The characteristics of these features are essentially identical to the `discrete absorption components (DACs) commonly seen in the UV lines of massive OB stars. We have also employed the unified model atmosphere code CMFGEN to explore spectroscopic signatures of clumping, and report in particular on the clear sensitivity of the PV lines to the clump volume filling factor. The results presented here have implications for the downward revision of mass-loss rates in PN central stars. We conclude that the temporal structures seen in the PV lines of NGC6543 likely have a physical origin that is similar to that operating in massive, luminous stars, and may be related to near-surface perturbations caused by stellar pulsation and/or magnetic fields.
Hot stars emit large amounts of X-rays, which are assumed to originate in the supersonic stellar wind. Part of the emitted X-rays is subsequently absorbed in the wind and influences its ionization state. Because hot star winds are driven radiatively, the modified ionization equilibrium affects the radiative force. We review the recent progress in modelling the influence of X-rays on the radiative equilibrium and on the radiative force. We focus particularly on single stars with X-rays produced in wind shocks and on binaries with massive components, which belong to the most luminous objects in X-rays.
A primary goal of the FUSE mission is to understand the origin of the O VI ion in the interstellar medium of the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. Along sightlines to OB-type stars, these interstellar components are usually blended with O VI stellar wind profiles, which frequently vary in shape. In order to assess the effects of this time-dependent blending on measurements of the interstellar O VI lines, we have undertaken a mini-survey of repeated observations toward OB-type stars in the Galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud. These sparse time series, which consist of 2-3 observations separated by intervals ranging from a few days to several months, show that wind variability occurs commonly in O VI (about 60% of a sample of 50 stars), as indeed it does in other resonance lines. However, in the interstellar O VI $lambda$1032 region, the O VI $lambda$1038 wind varies only in $sim$30% of the cases. By examining cases exhibiting large amplitude variations, we conclude that stellar-wind variability {em generally} introduces negligible uncertainty for single interstellar O VI components along Galactic lines of sight, but can result in substantial errors in measurements of broader components or blends of components like those typically observed toward stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Due to possible contamination by discrete absorption components in the stellar O VI line, stars with terminal velocities greater than or equal to the doublet separation (1654 km/s) should be treated with care.