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arXiv · 2209.04165

Open questions in massive star research

N. Langer
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Abstract

In discussing open question in the field of massive stars, I consider their evolution from birth to death. After touching upon massive star formation, which may be bi-modal and not lead to a zero-age main sequence at the highest masses, I consider the consequences of massive stars being close to their Eddington limit. Then, when discussing the effects of a binary companion, I highlight the importance of massive Algols and contact binaries for understanding the consequences of mass transfer, and the role of binaries in forming Wolf-Rayet stars. Finally, a discussion on pair instability supernovae and of superluminous supernovae is provided.

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N. Langer. 2022-09-09. Open questions in massive star research. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1743921322003088

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