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R 136a and its implications for understanding Wolf-Rayet stars and Wolf-Rayet galaxies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2016

Sara R. Heap
Sara R. Heap*
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Astronomy & Solar Physics NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA

Abstract

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We argue that the WR phenomenon is simply a consequence of very high mass-loss rates (i.e., it is independent of initial mass, composition, or evolutionary status) and that it occurs in very massive main-sequence stars. We explore this argument using new HST observations of R 136a, the compact cluster containing three high-mass WR stars on the main sequence. We suggest that the underlying cause of the WR phenomemon in these stars is mass-loss enhanced by rapid rotation. Finally, we explore the implications of luminous, main-sequence WR stars for interpreting unresolved WR star clusters and galaxies.

Type
Part 4. Wolf-Rayet stars and other hot massive stars in the Galactic Center and in Local Group giant H II regions (individual stars)
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 193: Wolf-Rayet Phenomena in Massive Stars and Starburst Galaxies , 1999 , pp. 412 - 417
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1999 

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