Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Spectropolarimetric Study Of Southern Wr + O Binaries, Andrew G. Fullard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The classical Wolf-Rayet (WR) state is the evolved stage of a massive star, post main-sequence. They are characterized by their strong emission line spectra and stellar winds that are often more than 10 times denser than that of their progenitor O-type stars, which have mass loss rates of 10^-6 M_Θyr^-1. The evolution of WR stars and their connection to specific types of supernovae (SNe) is an open question. Current theory suggests that rapidly rotating massive stars may be the progenitors of SNe that produce long-duration gamma-ray bursts. The interaction between WR stars and their companion …