Binaries with hot massive components are strong X-ray sources. Besides the intrinsic X-ray emission of individual binary members originating in their winds, X-ray emission stems from the accretion on the compact companion or from wind collision. Sinc
e hot star winds are driven by the light absorption in the lines of heavier elements, wind acceleration is sensitive to the ionization state. Therefore, the over-ionization induced by external X-ray source strongly influences the winds of individual components. We studied the effect of external X-ray irradiation on hot star winds. We used our kinetic equilibrium (NLTE) wind models to estimate the influence of external X-ray ionization for different X-ray luminosities and source distances. The models are calculated for parameters typical of O stars. The influence of X-rays is given by the X-ray luminosity, by the optical depth between a given point and the X-ray source, and by a distance to the X-ray source. Therefore, the results can be interpreted in the diagrams of X-ray luminosity vs.~the optical depth parameter. X-rays are negligible in binaries with low X-ray luminosities or at large distances from the X-ray source. The influence of X-rays is stronger for higher X-ray luminosities and in closer proximity of the X-ray source. There is a forbidden area with high X-ray luminosities and low optical depth parameters, where the X-ray ionization leads to wind inhibition. There is excellent agreement between the positions of observed stars in these diagrams and our predictions. All wind-powered high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) primaries lie outside the forbidden area. Many of them lie close to the border of the forbidden area, indicating that their X-ray luminosities are self-regulated. We discuss the implications of our work for other binary types.
During the evolution of first stars, the CNO elements may emerge on their surfaces due to the mixing processes. Consequently, these stars may have winds driven purely by CNO elements. We study the properties of such stellar winds and discuss their in
fluence on the surrounding environment. For this purpose, we used our own NLTE models and tested which stellar parameters of the first stars at different evolutionary stages result in CNO winds. If such winds are possible, we calculate their hydrodynamic structure and predict their parameters. We show that, while the studied stars do not have any wind driven purely by hydrogen and helium, CNO driven winds exist in more luminous stars. On the other hand, for very hot stars, CNO elements are too ionized to drive a wind. In most cases the derived mass-loss rate is much less than calculated with solar mixture of elements. This is because wind mass-loss rate in present hot stars is dominated by elements heavier than CNO. We conclude that, until a sufficient amount of these elements is created, the influence of line-driven winds is relatively small on the evolution of hot stars (which are not close to the Eddington limit).
Thermal wind emission in the form of free-free and free-bound emission is known to show up in the infrared and radio continuum of hot and massive stars. For OB supergiants with moderate mass loss rates and a wind velocity distribution with beta = 0.8
...1.0, no influence of the wind to the optical continuum, i.e. for lambda < 1 micron, is expected. Investigations of stellar and wind parameters of OB supergiants over the last few years suggest, however, that for many objects beta is much higher than 1.0, reaching values up to 3.5. We investigate the influence of the free-free and free-bound emission on the emerging radiation, especially at optical wavelengths, from OB supergiants having wind velocity distributions with beta > 1. For the case of a spherically symmetric, isothermal wind in local thermodynamical equilibrium (LTE) we calculate the free-free and free-bound processes and the emerging wind and total continuum spectra. We localize the generation region of the optical wind continuum and especially focus on the influence of a beta-type wind velocity distribution with beta > 1 on the formation of the wind continuum at optical wavelengths. The optical wind continuum is found to be generated within about 2 R_* which is exactly the wind region where beta strongly influences the density distribution. We find that for beta > 1, the continuum of a typical OB supergiant can indeed be contaminated with thermal wind emission, even at optical wavelengths. The strong increase in the optical wind emission is dominantly produced by free-bound processes.
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 increase
s 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.
