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Eruptive outflow phases of massive stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2011

Nathan Smith
Nathan Smith*
Affiliation:
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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I review recent progress on understanding eruptions of unstable massive stars, with particular attention to the diversity of observed behavior in extragalatic optical transient sources that are generally associated with giant eruptions of luminous blue variables (LBVs). These eruptions are thought to represent key mass loss episodes in the lives of massive stars. I discuss the possibility of dormant LBVs and implications for the duration of the greater LBV phase and its role in stellar evolution. These eruptive variables show a wide range of peak luminosity, decay time, expansion speeds, and progenitor luminosity, and in some cases they have been observed to suffer multiple eruptions. This broadens our view of massive star eruptions compared to prototypical sources like Eta Carinae, and provides important clues for the nature of the outbursts. I will also review and discuss some implications about the possible physical mechanisms involved, although the cause of the eruptions is not yet understood.

Keywords

instabilitiescircumstellar matterstars: evolutionstars: mass losssupernovae: generalstars: windsoutflows
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 6 , Symposium S272: Active OB stars: structure, evolution, mass loss, and critical limits , July 2010 , pp. 571 - 580
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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