arXiv subjects

D. J. Hillier

Publications and source records attributed to D. J. Hillier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity. IV. Spectral analysis methods and exemplary results for O stars

CONTEXT: The spectral analysis of hot, massive stars is a fundamental astrophysical method to obtain their intrinsic properties and their feedback. Quantitative spectroscopy for hot, massive stars requires detailed numerical modeling of the atmosphere and an iterative treatment to obtain the best solution within a given framework. AIMS: We present an overview of different techniques for the quantitative spectroscopy of hot stars employed within the X-Shooting ULLYSES collaboration, from grid-based approaches to tailored fits. By performing a blind test, we gain an overview about the similarities and differences of the resulting parameters. Our study aims to provide an overview of the parameter spread caused by different approaches. METHODS: For three different stars from the sample (SMC O5 star AzV 377, LMC O7 star Sk -69 50, and LMC O9 star Sk -66 171), we employ different atmosphere codes (CMFGEN, Fastwind, PoWR) and strategies to determine their best-fitting model. For our analyses, UV and optical spectra are used to derive the properties with some methods relying purely on optical data for comparison. To determine the overall spectral energy distribution, we further employ additional photometry from the literature. RESULTS: Effective temperatures for each of three sample stars agree within 3 kK while the differences in log g can be up to 0.2 dex. Luminosity differences of up to 0.1 dex result from different reddening assumptions, which seem to be larger for the methods employing a genetic algorithm. All sample stars are nitrogen-enriched. CONCLUSIONS: We find a reasonable agreement between the different methods. Tailored fitting tends to be able to minimize discrepancies obtained with more course or automatized treatments. UV spectral data is essential for the determination of realistic wind parameters. For one target (Sk -69 50), we find clear indications of an evolved status.

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arXiv2024

CMFGEN grids of atmosphere models for massive stars: OB-type stars at the Magellanic Clouds

Large spectroscopic surveys of individual massive stars, such as ULLYSES and XSHOOTU, provide observational data for hundreds of massive stars. Their analysis requires large numbers of synthetic spectra so that stellar parameters can be determined. In addition, libraries of massive stars' spectra are needed to produce population synthesis models able to reproduce the observed spectra of unresolved young stellar populations, such as those revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the early Universe. Our main goal is to provide an extensive library of synthetic spectra and spectral energy distributions of OB stars at metallicities of the Magellanic Clouds. This library will offer a wealth of spectrophotometric information, making it readily applicable to a variety of astrophysical problems. We used the CMFGEN code to calculate 606 NLTE, line-blanketed, expanding atmosphere models using a comprehensive set of atomic data. An overall metallicity of 1/2 Z$_\odot$ and 1/5 Z$_\odot$ was adopted for the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), respectively. We produced high-resolution spectra from 30 angstroms to 3 $μ$m for stars on the Main Sequence and slightly beyond. We provide spectral energy distributions, normalized synthetic spectra, ionizing fluxes, and photometry in various bands: Johnson UBV, Cousins RI, Bessel JHK, selected wide JWST filters, Gaia, and LSST ugrizy filters. For each of these filters, we compute bolometric corrections for all synthetic spectra and calibrations as a function of effective temperature. All of our synthetic spectra are publicly available through the POLLUX database, aiming to expedite multiwavelength analyses of massive stars in low metallicity environments.

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arXiv2024

X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity -- V. Effect of metallicity on surface abundances of O stars

Massive stars rotate faster, on average, than lower mass stars. Stellar rotation triggers hydrodynamical instabilities which transport angular momentum and chemical species from the core to the surface. Models of high-mass stars that include these processes predict that chemical mixing is stronger at lower metallicity. We aim to test this prediction by comparing the surface abundances of massive stars at different metallicities. We performed a spectroscopic analysis of single O stars in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) based on the ULLYSES and XshootU surveys. We determined the fundamental parameters and helium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen surface abundances of 17 LMC and 17 SMC non-supergiant O6-9.5 stars. We complemented these determinations by literature results for additional MCs and also Galactic stars to increase the sample size and metallicity coverage. We investigated the differences in the surface chemical enrichment at different metallicities and compared them with predictions of three sets of evolutionary models. Surface abundances are consistent with CNO-cycle nucleosynthesis. The maximum surface nitrogen enrichment is stronger in MC stars than in Galactic stars. Nitrogen enrichment is also observed in stars with higher surface gravities in the SMC than in the Galaxy. This trend is predicted by models that incorporate chemical transport caused by stellar rotation. The distributions of projected rotational velocities in our samples are likely biased towards slow rotators. A metallicity dependence of surface abundances is demonstrated. The analysis of larger samples with an unbiased distribution of projected rotational velocities is required to better constrain the treatment of chemical mixing and angular momentum transport in massive single and binary stars.

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arXiv2023

The long-term spectral changes of eta Carinae: are they caused by a dissipating occulter as indicated by CMFGEN models?

Eta Carinae ($η$\,Car) exhibits a unique set of P Cygni profiles with both broad and narrow components. Over many decades, the spectrum has changed -- there has been an increase in observed continuum fluxes and a decrease in FeII and HI emission line equivalent widths. The spectrum is evolving towards that of a P Cygni star such as P~Cygni itself and HDE~316285. The spectral evolution has been attributed to intrinsic variations such as a decrease in the mass-loss rate of the primary star or differential evolution in a latitudinal-dependent stellar wind. However intrinsic wind changes conflict with three observational results: the steady long-term bolometric luminosity; the repeating X-ray light curve over the binary period; and the constancy of the dust-scattered spectrum from the Homunculus. We extend previous work that showed a secular strengthening of P~Cygni absorptions by adding more orbital cycles to overcome temporary instabilities and by examining more atomic transitions. {\sc cmfgen} modeling of the primary wind shows that a time-decreasing mass-loss rate is not the best explanation for the observations. However, models with a `small' dissipating absorber in our line-of-site can explain both the increase in brightness and changes in the emission and P Cygni absorption profiles. If the spectral evolution is caused by the dissipating circumstellar medium, and not by intrinsic changes in the binary, the dynamical timescale to recover from the Great Eruption is much less than a century, different from previous suggestions.

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arXiv2022

Ultraviolet Spectropolarimetry: on the origin of rapidly rotating B stars

UV spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry hold the key to understanding certain aspects of massive stars that are largely inaccessible with optical or longer wavelength observations. This is especially true for the rapidly-rotating Be and Bn stars, owing to their high temperatures, geometric asymmetries, binary properties, and evolutionary history. UV spectropolarimetric observations are extremely sensitive to the photospheric consequences of rapid rotation (i.e. oblateness, temperature, and surface gravity gradients). Our polarized radiative-transfer modelling predicts that with low-resolution UV spectropolarimetry covering 120 -- 300 nm the inclination angle of a rapid rotator can be determined to within 5 degrees, and the rotation rate to within 1%. The origin of rapid rotation in Be/n stars can be explained by either single-star or binary evolution, but their relative importance is largely unknown. Some Be stars have hot sub-luminous (sdO) companions, which at an earlier phase transferred their envelope (and with it mass and angular momentum) to the present-day rapid rotator. Through spectral modelling of a wide range of simulated Be/n+sdO configurations, we demonstrate that high-resolution high-SNR UV spectroscopy can detect an sdO star even when $\sim$1,000 times fainter in the UV than its Be/n star companion. This degree of sensitivity is needed to more fully explore the parameter space of Be/n+sdO binaries, which so far has been limited to about a dozen systems with relatively luminous sdO stars. We suggest that a UV spectropolarimetric survey of Be/n stars is the next step forward in understanding this population. Such a dataset would, when combined with population synthesis models, allow for the determination of the relative importance of the possible evolutionary pathways traversed by these stars, which is also crucial for understanding their future evolution and fate.

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arXiv2021

Nebular phase properties of supernova Ibc from He-star explosions

Following our recent work on Type II supernovae (SNe), we present a set of 1D nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium radiative transfer calculations for nebular-phase Type Ibc SNe starting from state-of-the-art explosion models with detailed nucleosynthesis. Our grid of progenitor models is derived from He stars that were subsequently evolved under the influence of wind mass loss. These He stars, which most likely form through binary mass exchange, synthesize less oxygen than their single-star counterparts with the same zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) mass. This reduction is greater in He-star models evolved with an enhanced mass loss rate. We obtain a wide range of spectral properties at 200d. In models from He stars with an initial mass >6Msun, the [OI] 6300, 6364 is of comparable or greater strength than [CaII] 7291,7323 -- the strength of [OI] 6300, 6364 increases with He-star initial mass. In contrast, models from lower mass He stars exhibit a weak [OI] 6300, 6364, strong [CaII] 7291,7323, but also strong NII lines and FeII emission below 5500A. The ejecta density, modulated by the ejecta mass, the explosion energy, and clumping, has a critical impact on the gas ionization, line cooling, and the spectral properties. FeII dominates the emission below 5500A and is stronger at earlier nebular epochs. It ebbs as the SN ages, while the fractional flux in [OI] 6300, 6364 and [CaII] 7291,7323 increases, with a similar rate, as the ejecta recombine. Although the results depend on the adopted wind mass loss rate and pre-SN mass, we find that He stars of 6-8Msun initially (ZAMS mass of 23-28Msun) match adequately the properties of standard SNe Ibc. Our results for less massive He stars are more perplexing, since the predicted spectra are not seen in nature. They may be missed by current surveys or associated with Type Ibn SNe in which interaction dominates over decay power. [Abridged]

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arXiv2021

Spectroscopic Signatures of the Vanishing Natural Coronagraph of eta Carinae

Eta Carinae is a massive interacting binary system shrouded in a complex circumstellar environment whose evolution is the source of the long-term brightening observed during the last 80 years. An occulter, acting as a natural coronagraph, impacts observations from our perspective, but not from most other directions. Other sight-lines are visible to us through studies of the Homunculus reflection nebula. The coronagraph appears to be vanishing, decreasing the extinction towards the central star, and causing the star's secular brightening. In contrast, the Homunculus remains at an almost constant brightness. The coronagraph primarily suppresses the stellar continuum, to a lesser extent the wind lines, and not the circumstellar emission lines. This explains why the absolute values of equivalent widths (EWs) of the emission lines in our direct view are larger than those seen in reflected by the Homunculus, why the direct view absolute EWs are decreasing with time, and why lower-excitation spectral wind lines formed at larger radii (e.g. FeII 4585A) decrease in intensity at a faster pace than higher excitation lines that form closer to the star (e.g. Hδ). Our main result is that the star, despite its 10-fold brightening over two decades, is relatively stable. A vanishing coronagraph that can explain both the large flux evolution and the much weaker spectral evolution. This is contrary to suggestions that the long-term variability is intrinsic to the primary star that is still recovering from the Great Eruption with a decreasing mass-loss rate and a polar wind that is evolving at a slower pace than at the equator.

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arXiv2020

On the changes in the physical properties of the ionized region around the Weigelt structures in Eta Carinae over the 5.54-yr spectroscopic cycle

We present HST/STIS observations and analysis of two prominent nebular structures around the central source of Eta Carinae, the knots C and D. The former is brighter than the latter for emission lines from intermediate or high ionization potential ions. The brightness of lines from intermediate and high ionization potential ions significantly decreases at phases around periastron. We do not see conspicuous changes in the brightness of lines from low ionization potential (<13.6 eV) that the total extinction towards the Weigelt structures is that the total extinction towards the Weigelt structures is AsubV =2/0. that the total extinction towards the Weigelt structures is AV = 2.0. Weigelt C and D are characterized by an electron density of that the total extinction towards the Weigelt structures is AV = 2.0. Weigelt C and D are characterized by an electron density of 10exp6.9 cm-3 that does not significantly change throughout the orbital cycle. The electron temperature varies from 5500 K (around periastron) to 7200 K (around apastron). The relative changes in the brightness of He I lines are well reproduced by the variations in the electron temperature alone. We found that, at phases around periastron, the electron temperature seems to be higher for Weigelt C than that of D. The Weigelt structures are located close to the Homunculus equatorial plane, at a distance of about 1240 AU from the central source. From the analysis of proper motion and age, the Weigelt complex can be associated with the equatorial structure called the Butterfly Nebula surrounding the central binary system.

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arXiv2019

Mid-infrared evolution of eta Car from 1968 to 2018

Eta Car is one of the most luminous and massive stars in our Galaxy and is the brightest mid-infrared (mid-IR) source in the sky, outside our solar system. Since the late 1990s the central source has dramatically brightened at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths. This might be explained by a decrease in circumstellar dust extinction. We aim to establish the mid-IR flux evolution and further our understanding of the star's ultraviolet and optical brightening. Mid-IR images from $8-20~μ$m were obtained in 2018 with VISIR at the Very Large Telescope. Archival data from 2003 and 2005 are retrieved from the ESO Science Archive Facility and historical records are collected from publications. We present the highest angular resolution mid-IR images of $η$ Car to date at the corresponding wavelengths ($\geq 0.22''$). We reconstruct the mid-IR evolution of the spectral energy distribution of the spatially integrated Homunculus nebula from 1968 to 2018 and find no long-term changes. Eta Car's bolometric luminosity has been stable over the past five decades. We do not observe a long-term decrease in the mid-IR flux densities that could be associated with the brightening at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths, but circumstellar dust must be declining in our line-of-sight only. Short-term flux variations within about 25% of the mean levels could be present.

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arXiv2016

VLTI-AMBER velocity-resolved aperture-synthesis imaging of Eta Carinae with a spectral resolution of 12000. Studies of the primary star wind and innermost wind-wind collision

Context. The mass loss from massive stars is not understood well. Eta Car is a unique object for studying the massive stellar wind during the LBV phase. It is also an eccentric binary with a period of 5.54 yr. The nature of both stars is uncertain, although we know from X-ray studies that there is a wind-wind collision whose properties change with orbital phase. Methods. Observations of Eta Car were carried out with the ESO VLTI and the AMBER instrument between approximately five and seven months before the August 2014 periastron passage. Velocity-resolved aperture-synthesis images were reconstructed from the spectrally dispersed interferograms. Interferometric studies can provide information on the binary orbit, the primary wind, and the wind collision. Results. We present velocity-resolved aperture-synthesis images reconstructed in more than 100 different spectral channels distributed across the Br Gamma 2.166 micrometer emission line. The intensity distribution of the images strongly depends on wavelength. At wavelengths corresponding to radial velocities of approximately -140 to -376 km/s measured relative to line center, the intensity distribution has a fan-shaped structure. At the velocity of -277 km/s, the position angle of the symmetry axis of the fan is ~ 126 degree. The fan-shaped structure extends approximately 8.0 mas (~ 18.8 au) to the southeast and 5.8 mas (~ 13.6 au) to the northwest, measured along the symmetry axis at the 16% intensity contour. The shape of the intensity distributions suggests that the obtained images are the first direct images of the innermost wind-wind collision zone. Therefore, the observations provide velocity-dependent image structures that can be used to test three-dimensional hydrodynamical, radiative transfer models of the massive interacting winds of Eta Car.

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arXiv2016

He II $λ$4686 emission from the massive binary system in $η$ Car: constraints to the orbital elements and the nature of the periodic minima

η Carinae is an extremely massive binary system in which rapid spectrum variations occur near periastron. Most notably, near periastron the He II $λ4686$ line increases rapidly in strength, drops to a minimum value, then increases briefly before fading away. To understand this behavior, we conducted an intense spectroscopic monitoring of the He II $λ4686$ emission line across the 2014.6 periastron passage using ground- and space-based telescopes. Comparison with previous data confirmed the overall repeatability of EW(He II $λ4686$), the line radial velocities, and the timing of the minimum, though the strongest peak was systematically larger in 2014 than in 2009 by 26%. The EW(He II $λ4686$) variations, combined with other measurements, yield an orbital period $2022.7\pm0.3$ d. The observed variability of the EW(He II $λ4686$) was reproduced by a model in which the line flux primarily arises at the apex of the wind-wind collision and scales inversely with the square of the stellar separation, if we account for the excess emission as the companion star plunges into the hot inner layers of the primary's atmosphere, and including absorption from the disturbed primary wind between the source and the observer. This model constrains the orbital inclination to $135^\circ$-$153^\circ$, and the longitude of periastron to $234^\circ$-$252^\circ$. It also suggests that periastron passage occurred on $T_0 = 2456874.4\pm1.3$ d. Our model also reproduced EW(He II $λ4686$) variations from a polar view of the primary star as determined from the observed He II $λ4686$ emission scattered off the Homunculus nebula.

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arXiv2015

The Discovery and Physical Parameterization of a New Type of Wolf-Rayet Star

As part of our ongoing Wolf-Rayet (WR) Magellanic Cloud survey, we have discovered 13 new WRs. However, the most exciting outcome of our survey is not the number of new WRs, but their unique characteristics. Eight of our discoveries appear to belong to an entirely new class of WRs. While one might naively classify these stars as WN3+O3V binaries, such a pairing is unlikely. Preliminary CMFGEN modeling suggests physical parameters similar to early-type WNs in the Large Magellanic Cloud except with mass-loss rates three to five times lower and slightly higher temperatures. The evolution status of these stars remains an open question.

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arXiv2015

No breakdown of the radiatively-driven wind theory in low-metallicity environments

We present a spectroscopic analysis of HST/COS observations of three massive stars in the low metallicity dwarf galaxies IC 1613 and WLM. These stars, were previously observed with VLT/X-shooter by Tramper et al. (2011, 2014) who claimed that their mass-loss rates are higher than expected from theoretical predictions for the underlying metallicity. A comparison of the FUV spectra with those of stars of similar spectral types/luminosity classes in the Galaxy, and the Magellanic Clouds provides a direct, model-independent check of the mass-loss - metallicity relation. Then, a quantitative spectroscopic analysis is carried out using the NLTE stellar atmosphere code CMFGEN. We derive the photospheric and wind characteristics, benefiting from a much better sensitivity of the FUV lines to wind properties than Ha. Iron and CNO abundances are measured, providing an independent check of the stellar metallicity. The spectroscopic analysis indicates that Z/Zsun = 1/5, similar to a SMC-type environment, and higher than usually quoted for IC 1613 and WLM. The mass-loss rates are smaller than the empirical ones by Tramper et al. (2014), and those predicted by the widely used theoretical recipe by Vink et al. (2001). On the other hand, we show that the empirical, FUV-based, mass-loss rates are in good agreement with those derived from mass fluxes computed by Lucy (2012). We do not concur with Tramper et al. (2011, 2014) that there is a breakdown in the mass-loss - metallicity relation.

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arXiv2014

Radial dependence of line profile variability in seven O9--B0.5 stars

Massive stars show a variety of spectral variability: presence of discrete absorption components in UV P-Cygni profiles, optical line profile variability, X-ray variability, radial velocity modulations. Our goal is to study the spectral variability of single OB stars to better understand the relation between photospheric and wind variability. For that, we rely on high spectral resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio optical spectra collected with the spectrograph NARVAL on the Telescope Bernard Lyot at Pic du Midi. We investigate the variability of twelve spectral lines by means of the Temporal Variance Spectrum (TVS). The selected lines probe the radial structure of the atmosphere, from the photosphere to the outer wind. We also perform a spectroscopic analysis with atmosphere models to derive the stellar and wind properties, and to constrain the formation region of the selected lines. We show that variability is observed in the wind lines of all bright giants and supergiants, on a daily timescale. Lines formed in the photosphere are sometimes variable, sometimes not. The dwarf stars do not show any sign of variability. If variability is observed on a daily timescale, it can also (but not always) be observed on hourly timescales, albeit with lower amplitude. There is a very clear correlation between amplitude of the variability and fraction of the line formed in the wind. Strong anti-correlations between the different part of the temporal variance spectrum are observed. Our results indicate that variability is stronger in lines formed in the wind. A link between photospheric and wind variability is not obvious from our study, since wind variability is observed whatever the level of photospheric variability. Different photospheric lines also show different degrees of variability.

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arXiv2014

Type II-Plateau supernovae as metallicity probes of the Universe

We explore a method for metallicity determinations based on quantitative spectroscopy of type II-Plateau (II-P) supernovae (SNe). For consistency, we first evolve a set of 15Msun main sequence stars at 0.1, 0.4, 1, and 2 x the solar metallicity. At the onset of core collapse, we trigger a piston-driven explosion and model the resulting ejecta and radiation. Our theoretical models of such red-supergiant-star explosions at different metallicity show that synthetic spectra of SNe II-P possess optical signatures during the recombination phase that are sensitive to metallicity variations. This sensitivity can be quantified and the metallicity inferred from the strength of metal-line absorptions. Furthermore, these signatures are not limited to O, but also include Na, Ca, Sc, Ti, or Fe. When compared to a sample of SNe II-P from the Carnegie SN Project and previous SN followup programs, we find that most events lie at a metallicity between 0.4 and 2 x solar, with a marked scarcity of SN II-P events at SMC metallicity. This most likely reflects the paucity of low metallicity star forming regions in the local Universe. SNe II-P have high plateau luminosities that make them observable spectroscopically at large distances. Because they exhibit signatures of diverse metal species, in the future they may offer a means to constrain the evolution of the composition (e.g., the O/Fe ratio) in the Universe out to a redshift of one and beyond.

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arXiv2012

A companion as the cause of latitude-dependent effects in the wind of Eta Carinae

We analyze spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of the Eta Carinae binary system obtained with HST/STIS. Eta Car is enshrouded by the dusty Homunculus nebula, which scatters light emitted by the central binary and provides a unique opportunity to study a massive binary system from different vantage points. We investigate the latitudinal and azimuthal dependence of H$α$ line profiles caused by the presence of a wind-wind collision (WWC) cavity created by the companion star. Using two-dimensional radiative transfer models, we find that the wind cavity can qualitatively explain the observed line profiles around apastron. Regions of the Homunculus which scatter light that propagated through the WWC cavity show weaker or no H alpha absorption. Regions scattering light that propagated through a significant portion of the primary wind show stronger P Cygni absorption. Our models overestimate the H alpha absorption formed in the primary wind, which we attribute to photoionization by the companion, not presently included in the models. We can qualitatively explain the latitudinal changes that occur during periastron, shedding light on the nature of Eta Car's spectroscopic events. Our models support the idea that during the brief period of time around periastron when the primary wind flows unimpeded toward the observer, H alpha absorption occurs in directions toward the central object and Homunculus SE pole, but not toward equatorial regions close to the Weigelt blobs. We suggest that observed latitudinal and azimuthal variations are dominated by the companion star via the WWC cavity, rather than by rapid rotation of the primary star.

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arXiv2012

Obscured clusters.IV. The most massive stars in [DBS2003]179

Aims. We report new results for the massive evolved and main sequence members of the young galactic cluster DBS2003 179. We determine the physical parameters and investigate the high-mass stellar content of the cluster, as well as of its close vicinity. Methods. Our analysis is based on ISAAC/VLT moderate-resolution (R\approx4000) infrared spectroscopy of the brightest cluster members. We derive stellar parameters for sixteen of the stellar members, using full non-LTE modeling of the obtained spectra. Results. The cluster contains three late WN or WR/LBV stars (Obj 4, Obj 15, and Obj 20:MDM32) and at least 5 OIf and 5 OV stars. According to the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for DBS2003 179, the WR stars show masses above 85Msun, the OIf stars are between 40 and 80Msun, and the main sequence O stars are >20Msun. There are indications of binarity for Obj 4 and Obj 11, and Obj 3 shows a variable spectrum. The cluster is surrounded by a continuous protostar formation region most probably triggered by DBS2003 179. Conclusions. We confirm that DBS2003 179 is young massive cluster (2.5 10^4Msun) very close to the Galactic center at the distance of 7.9+-0.8 kpc.

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arXiv2012

On the formation of CIII 4647-50-51 and CIII 5696 in O star atmospheres

We investigate the formation of CIII 4647-51-50 and CIII 5696 in the atmosphere of O stars to see if they can be reliably used for abundance determinations. We use atmosphere models computed with the code CMFGEN. The key physical ingredients explaining the formation of the CIII lines are extracted from comparisons of models with different stellar parameters and through examining rates controlling the level populations. The strength of CIII 5696 critically depends on UV CIII lines at 386, 574 and 884 A. These lines control the CIII 5696 upper and lower level population. CIII 884 plays a key role in late O stars where it drains the lower level of CIII 5696. CIII 386 and CIII 574 are more important at early spectral types. The overlap of these UV lines with FeIV 386.262, FeIV 574.232 and SV 884.531 influences the radiative transfer at 386, 574 and 884 A, and consequently affects the strength of CIII 5696. CIII 4650 is mainly controlled by the CIII 538 line which acts as a drain on its lower level. FeIV 538.057 interacts with CIII 538 and has an impact on the CIII 4650 profile. Low temperature dielectronic recombinations have a negligible effect on the line profiles. Given our current understanding of the stellar and wind properties of O stars, and in view of the present results, the determination of accurate carbon abundances from CIII 4647-51-50 and CIII 5696 is an extremely challenging task. Uncertainties lower than a factor of two on C/H determinations based only on these two sets of lines should be regarder as highly doubtful. Our results provide a possible explanation of the variability of CIII 4650 in Of?p stars.

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