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Astrophysics and Astronomy

Swarthmore College

Stars: massive

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Chandra Grating Spectroscopy Of Embedded Wind Shock X-Ray Emission From O Stars Shows Low Plasma Temperatures And Significant Wind Absorption, David H. Cohen, V. Vaughn Parts, Graham M. Doskoch , '20, Jiaming Wang , '22, V. Petit, M. A. Leutenegger, M. Gagné May 2021

Chandra Grating Spectroscopy Of Embedded Wind Shock X-Ray Emission From O Stars Shows Low Plasma Temperatures And Significant Wind Absorption, David H. Cohen, V. Vaughn Parts, Graham M. Doskoch , '20, Jiaming Wang , '22, V. Petit, M. A. Leutenegger, M. Gagné

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We present a uniform analysis of six examples of embedded wind shock (EWS) O star X-ray sources observed at high resolution with the Chandra grating spectrometers. By modelling both the hot plasma emission and the continuum absorption of the soft X-rays by the cool, partially ionized bulk of the wind we derive the temperature distribution of the shock-heated plasma and the wind mass-loss rate of each star. We find a similar temperature distribution for each star’s hot wind plasma, consistent with a power-law differential emission measure, dlogEMdlogT⁠, with a slope a little steeper than −2, up to temperatures of only …


Chandra Spectral Measurements Of The O Supergiant Ζ Puppis Indicate A Surprising Increase In The Wind Mass-Loss Rate Over 18 Yr, David H. Cohen, Jiaming Wang , '22, V. Petit, M. A. Leutenegger, L. Dakir, C. Mayhue , '23, A. David-Uraz Dec 2020

Chandra Spectral Measurements Of The O Supergiant Ζ Puppis Indicate A Surprising Increase In The Wind Mass-Loss Rate Over 18 Yr, David H. Cohen, Jiaming Wang , '22, V. Petit, M. A. Leutenegger, L. Dakir, C. Mayhue , '23, A. David-Uraz

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

New long Chandra grating observations of the O supergiant ζ Pup show not only a brightening of the X-ray emission line flux of 13 per cent in the 18 yr since Chandra’s first observing cycle, but also clear evidence – at more than 4σ significance – of increased wind absorption signatures in its Doppler-broadened line profiles. We demonstrate this with non-parametric analysis of the profiles as well as Gaussian fitting and then use line-profile model fitting to derive a mass-loss rate of 2.47 ± 0.09 × 10−6[Math Processing Error]⁠, which is a 40 per cent increase over the value obtained …


Magnetic Massive Stars As Progenitors Of ‘Heavy’ Stellar-Mass Black Holes, V. Petit, Z. Keszthelyi, R. Macinnis, David H. Cohen, R. H. D. Townsend, G. A. Wade, S. L. Thomas, S. P. Owocki, J. Puls, A. Ud-Doula Apr 2017

Magnetic Massive Stars As Progenitors Of ‘Heavy’ Stellar-Mass Black Holes, V. Petit, Z. Keszthelyi, R. Macinnis, David H. Cohen, R. H. D. Townsend, G. A. Wade, S. L. Thomas, S. P. Owocki, J. Puls, A. Ud-Doula

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

The groundbreaking detection of gravitational waves produced by the inspiralling and coalescence of the black hole (BH) binary GW150914 confirms the existence of ‘heavy’ stellar-mass BHs with masses >25 M⊙. Initial characterization of the system by Abbott et al. supposes that the formation of BHs with such large masses from the evolution of single massive stars is only feasible if the wind mass-loss rates of the progenitors were greatly reduced relative to the mass-loss rates of massive stars in the Galaxy, concluding that heavy BHs must form in low-metallicity (Z ≲ 0.25-0.5 Z⊙) environments. However, strong surface magnetic fields also …


A Jvla Survey Of The High-Frequency Radio Emission Of The Massive Magnetic B- And O-Type Stars, S. Kurapati, P. Chandra, G. Wade, David H. Cohen, A. David-Uraz, M. Gagne, J. Grunhut, M. E. Oksala, V. Petit, M. Shultz, J. Sundqvist, R. H. D. Townsend, A. Ud-Doula Feb 2017

A Jvla Survey Of The High-Frequency Radio Emission Of The Massive Magnetic B- And O-Type Stars, S. Kurapati, P. Chandra, G. Wade, David H. Cohen, A. David-Uraz, M. Gagne, J. Grunhut, M. E. Oksala, V. Petit, M. Shultz, J. Sundqvist, R. H. D. Townsend, A. Ud-Doula

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We conducted a survey of seven magnetic O-type stars and eleven B-type stars with masses above 8 M⊙ using the Very Large Array in the 1, 3 and 13 cm bands. The survey resulted in a detection of two O- and two B-type stars. While the detected O-type stars – HD 37742 and HD 47129 – are in binary systems, the detected B-type stars, HD 156424 and ALS 9522, are not known to be in binaries. All four stars were detected at 3 cm, whereas three were detected at 1 cm and only one star was detected at 13 cm. …


The Mimes Survey Of Magnetism In Massive Stars: Introduction And Overview, G. A. Wade, C. Neiner, E. Alecian, J. H. Grunhut, V. Petit, B. De Batz, D. A. Bohlender, David H. Cohen, H. F. Heinrichs, O. Kochukhov, J. D. Landstreet, N. Manset, F. Martins, S. Mathis, M. E. Oksala, S. P. Owocki, T. Rivinius, M. E. Shultz, J. O. Sundqvist, R. H. D. Townsend, A. Ud-Doula, J.-C. Bouret, J. Braithwaite, M. Briquet, A. C. Carciofi, A. David-Uraz, C. P. Folsom, A. W. Fullerton, B. Leroy, W. L. F. Marcolino, A. F. J. Moffat, Y. Nazé, N. St Louis, M. Aurière, S. Bagnulo, J. D. Bailey, R. H. Barbá, A. Blazère, T. Böhm, C. Catala, J.-F. Donati, L. Ferrario, D. Harrington, I. D. Howarth, R. Ignace, L. Kaper, T. Lüftinger, R. Prinja, J. S. Vink, W. W. Weiss, I. Yakunin Feb 2016

The Mimes Survey Of Magnetism In Massive Stars: Introduction And Overview, G. A. Wade, C. Neiner, E. Alecian, J. H. Grunhut, V. Petit, B. De Batz, D. A. Bohlender, David H. Cohen, H. F. Heinrichs, O. Kochukhov, J. D. Landstreet, N. Manset, F. Martins, S. Mathis, M. E. Oksala, S. P. Owocki, T. Rivinius, M. E. Shultz, J. O. Sundqvist, R. H. D. Townsend, A. Ud-Doula, J.-C. Bouret, J. Braithwaite, M. Briquet, A. C. Carciofi, A. David-Uraz, C. P. Folsom, A. W. Fullerton, B. Leroy, W. L. F. Marcolino, A. F. J. Moffat, Y. Nazé, N. St Louis, M. Aurière, S. Bagnulo, J. D. Bailey, R. H. Barbá, A. Blazère, T. Böhm, C. Catala, J.-F. Donati, L. Ferrario, D. Harrington, I. D. Howarth, R. Ignace, L. Kaper, T. Lüftinger, R. Prinja, J. S. Vink, W. W. Weiss, I. Yakunin

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

The MiMeS (Magnetism in Massive Stars) project is a large-scale, high-resolution, sensitive spectropolarimetric investigation of the magnetic properties of O- and early B-type stars. Initiated in 2008 and completed in 2013, the project was supported by three Large Program allocations, as well as various programmes initiated by independent principal investigators, and archival resources. Ultimately, over 4800 circularly polarized spectra of 560 O and B stars were collected with the instruments ESPaDOnS (Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observation of Stars) at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, Narval at the Télescope Bernard Lyot and HARPSpol at the European Southern Observatory La Silla 3.6 m …


X-Ray Emission From The Giant Magnetosphere Of The Magnetic O-Type Star Ngc 1624-2, V. Petit, David H. Cohen, G. A. Wade, Y. Nazé, S. P. Owocki, J. O. Sundqvist, A. Ud-Doula, A. Fullerton, M. Leutenegger, M. Gagné Nov 2015

X-Ray Emission From The Giant Magnetosphere Of The Magnetic O-Type Star Ngc 1624-2, V. Petit, David H. Cohen, G. A. Wade, Y. Nazé, S. P. Owocki, J. O. Sundqvist, A. Ud-Doula, A. Fullerton, M. Leutenegger, M. Gagné

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We observed NGC 1624-2, the O-type star with the largest known magnetic field (Bp ∼ 20  kG), in X-rays with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS-S) camera on-board the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Our two observations were obtained at the minimum and maximum of the periodic Hα emission cycle, corresponding to the rotational phases where the magnetic field is the closest to equator-on and pole-on, respectively. With these observations, we aim to characterize the star's magnetosphere via the X-ray emission produced by magnetically confined wind shocks. Our main findings are as follows. (i) The observed spectrum of NGC 1624-2 is hard, …


Detection Of 610-Mhz Radio Emission From Hot Magnetic Stars, P. Chandra, G. A. Wade, J. O. Sundqvist, D. Oberoi, J. H. Grunhut, A. Ud-Doula, V. Petit, David H. Cohen, M. E. Oksala, A. David-Uraz Sep 2015

Detection Of 610-Mhz Radio Emission From Hot Magnetic Stars, P. Chandra, G. A. Wade, J. O. Sundqvist, D. Oberoi, J. H. Grunhut, A. Ud-Doula, V. Petit, David H. Cohen, M. E. Oksala, A. David-Uraz

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We have carried out a study of radio emission from a small sample of magnetic O- and B-type stars using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, with the goal of investigating their magnetospheres at low frequencies. These are the lowest frequency radio measurements ever obtained of hot magnetic stars. The observations were taken at random rotational phases in the 1390 and the 610 MHz bands. Out of the eight stars, we detect five B-type stars in both the 1390 and the 610 MHz bands. The three O-type stars were observed only in the 1390 MHz band, and no detections were obtained. …


Measuring The Shock-Heating Rate In The Winds Of O Stars Using X-Ray Line Spectra, David H. Cohen, Zequn Li , '16, K. G. Gayley, S. P. Owocki, J. O. Sundqvist, V. Petit, M. A. Leutenegger Nov 2014

Measuring The Shock-Heating Rate In The Winds Of O Stars Using X-Ray Line Spectra, David H. Cohen, Zequn Li , '16, K. G. Gayley, S. P. Owocki, J. O. Sundqvist, V. Petit, M. A. Leutenegger

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We present a new method for using measured X-ray emission line fluxes from O stars to determine the shock-heating rate due to instabilities in their radiation-driven winds. The high densities of these winds means that their embedded shocks quickly cool by local radiative emission, while cooling by expansion should be negligible. Ignoring for simplicity any non-radiative mixing or conductive cooling, the method presented here exploits the idea that the cooling post-shock plasma systematically passes through the temperature characteristic of distinct emission lines in the X-ray spectrum. In this way, the observed flux distribution among these X-ray lines can be used …