Spatially resolving the atmospheric dynamics over the surface of red supergiants with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer

Abstract

The mass-loss mechanism in red supergiants is a long-stand-ing problem. The milliarcsecond angular resolution achieved by infrared long-baseline interferometry provides us with the only way to spatially resolve the region where the material is accelerated. For this goal, the 2.3 μm CO lines are important, because they form in the upper photosphere and the outer atmosphere (so-called MOLsphere). We present high-spatial and high-spectral resolution observations of the 2.3 μm CO lines in the red supergiants Betelgeuse and Antares using the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). This has enabled us to spatially resolve the gas dynamics in the photosphere (and the MOLsphere) for the first time other than the Sun. We have detected vigorous motions of large CO gas clumps with velocities of up to 20–30 km s^-1. Comparison of the CO line data taken 1 year apart shows a significant change in the dynamics of the atmosphere. In contrast to the CO line data, the continuum data reveal no or only marginal time variations. The observationally estimated gas density in the outer atmosphere at 1.3–1.4 R_⋆ is higher than the values predicted by the current 3-D convection simulations by 6 to 11 orders of magnitude. Therefore, at the moment, convection alone cannot explain the detected vigorous gas motions in the extended outer atmosphere of Betelgeuse and Antares.