Water is a ubiquitous molecule in circumstellar envelopes (CSEs). Its emission has been detected at a wide range of distances from the central oxygen-rich evolved star. In particular, the water maser transition at 22 GHz, typically extending from about 5–20 stellar radii to as far as several hundred stellar radii from the star, has been commonly used to probe the structure and dynamics of the intermediate regions of the CSE where dust is condensing and the inner wind is being accelerated. The advent of ALMA has opened the door to high-angular resolution mapping of much higher excitation transitions of water, probing the inner regions of the CSEs, some of which are anticipated to exhibit maser action. The ALMA ATOMIUM large program observed many such transitions towards a sample of AGB stars & red supergiants. The preliminary results show that while some transitions depart only slightly from LTE, others clearly show signs of maser action. The Gaussian fitting of the non-diffuse/compact part of some of the (quasi) thermal & maser transitions reveal interesting velocity gradients, signatures of outflowing and infalling motions hence providing important constraints for stellar wind models.

We investigate the spectral properties of red supergiant stars in the four RSGCs (RSGC2, RSGC3, RSGC4, RSGC5, and Alicante 10) in the Scutum-Crux arm of the Milky Way. The high-resolution (R: 45,000) near-infrared (H and K bands) spectra for 41 red supergiants were obtained using IGRINS at Gemini South telescope. The calibration of effective temperatures and gravities are derived based on the EWTi and EWCO using supergiants in IGIRNS library. The resulted temperatures and gravities are consistent with previous results. Model spectra were synthesized using derived stellar parameters from which we estimate metallicities and chemical abundances like α-elements. In our preliminary result, we find that overall four RSGCs indeed have sub-solar metallicities as already known in previous studies. The metallicity properties of RSGCs are far off the nominal metallicity trend in this region, and this suggests recent low-metallicity gas fueling into the inner disk and bulge.

By compiling abundances from red and blue supergiants (SGs) within the Local Universe, I present the Mass-Metallicity relation (MZR) using stellar tracers, demonstrating the excellent internal consistency. Comparing this result with nebular tracers, those empirically calibrated to direct-method studies provide the most consistent results.

Red Supergiant Stars (RSGs) are important probes of stellar and chemical evolution in star-forming environments. They represent the brightest near-IR stellar components of external galaxies and probe the most recent stellar population to provide robust, independent abundance estimates. The Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy, NGC6822, is a reasonably isolated galaxy with an interesting structure and turbulent history. Using RSGs as chemical abundance probes, we estimate metallicities in the central region of NGC6822, finding a suggestion of a metallicity gradient (in broad agreement with nebular tracers), however, this requires further study for confirmation. With intermediate resolution Multi-object spectroscopy (from e.g. KMOS, EMIR, MOSFIRE) combined with state-of-the-art stellar model atmospheres, we demonstrate how RSGs can be used to estimate stellar abundances in external galaxies. In this context, we compare stellar and nebular abundance tracers in NGC 6822 and by combining stellar and nebular tracers we estimate an abundance gradient of −0.18 ± 0.05 dex/kpc.

. A fraction of high-mass X-ray binaries are supergiant fast X-ray transients. These systems have on average low X-ray luminosities, but display short flares during which their X-ray luminosity rises by a few orders of magnitude. The leading model for the physics governing this X-ray behaviour suggests that the winds of the donor OB supergiants are magnetized. In agreement with this model, the first spectropolarimetric observations of the SFXT IGR J11215-5952 using the FORS 2 instrument at the Very Large Telescope indicate the presence of a kG longitudinal magnetic field. Based on these results, it seems possible that the key difference between supergiant fast X-ray transients and other high-mass X-ray binaries are the properties of the supergiant’s stellar wind and the physics of the wind’s interaction with the neutron star magnetosphere.

Previous circular polarization observations obtained with the ESO FOcal Reducer low dispersion spectrograpgh at the VLT in 2007–2008 revealed the presence of a weak longitudinal magnetic field on the surface of the optical component of the X-ray binary Cyg X-1, which contains a black hole and an O9.7Iab supergiant on a 5.6 d orbit. In this contribution we report on recently acquired FORS 2 spectropolarimetric observations of Cyg X-1 along with measurements of a few additional high-mass X-ray binaries.

Despite its importance on late stages of the evolution of massive stars, the mass loss from red supergiants (RSGs) is a long-standing problem. To tackle this problem, it is essential to observe the wind acceleration region close to the star with high spatial resolution. While the mass loss from RSGs is often assumed to be spherically symmetric with a monotonically accelerating wind, there is mounting observational evidence that the reality is much more complex. I review the recent progress in high spatial resolution observations of RSGs, encompassing from the circumstellar envelope on rather large spatial scales (~100 stellar radii) to milliarcsecond-resolution aperture-synthesis imaging of the surface and the atmosphere of RSGs with optical and infrared long-baseline interferometers.

Nearby galaxies are ideal objects for the study of the mechanisms of galaxy formation and evolution, and massive stars in nearby galaxies are useful sources to investigate the structures and formation of the galaxies. It is important to gather the contents of massive stars for a number of galaxies spanning various metallicities. We focus on the red supergiants (RSGs) in nearby galaxies NGC 4449, NGC 5055, and NGC 5457, and the photometric properties of RSGs of three galaxies were investigated using near-infrared (JHK) imaging data obtained from WFCAM UKIRT. The (J − K, K)0 CMDs are investigated and compared with theoretical isochrones (Figure 1). The majority of RSGs in three galaxies have common age ranges from log(tyr) = 6.9 to log(tyr) = 7.3, and this indicates that these galaxies have experienced recent star formation within 20 Myr. Spatial correlation of RSGs with H II regions and their colour distribution were also investigated. For NGC 4449 and NGC 5457, the RSGs are spatially correlated with the H II regions, which however is not the case for NGC 5055. We found a similar colour distribution and a constant peak magnitude of MK = −11.9 for the RSGs in the three galaxies.

To improve our understanding of the mass loss in red supergiants (RSGs), it is of paramount importance to observe the wind acceleration region close to the star with high spatial resolution. I review the recent progress in milliarcsecond-resolution imaging of the surface and atmosphere of RSGs with optical and infrared long-baseline interferometers. The high resolution images of RSGs have revealed the true face of these behemoths, which have turned out to be very complex.

Surveys of the resolved stellar content of entire galaxies are the natural tool to study fast evolutionary phases of massive stars. Therefore we launched the Magellanic Clouds Massive Stars and Feedback Survey (MCSF) and periodically imaged for 3 years the entire Small and Large Magellanic Cloud in u, B, V, R, I and Hα, [Oiii], [Sii] using the twin telescope RoBoTT at the University Observatory of the Ruhr-University Bochum at Cerro Armazones, Chile. Observations with short exposure times are included to ensure brightest stars not to be saturated, yielding a full coverage in luminosity. With this unique dataset we can study the massive stellar populations up to MB ∼ −10 mag and their feedback. Upon completion a high quality photometric and spatially complete catalog of the Magellanic Clouds will be established which is be comparable (or even beyond) the quality of HST based photometry of nearby galaxies.

Some developments of measurements of the weak stellar magnetic fields by the least square technique applied to spectropolarimetric data are proposed and used for the X-ray binary Cyg X-1 = HDE 226868 (the optical counterpart is an O 9.7 supergiant).

Limb-darkening is a fundamental constraint for modeling eclipsing binary and planetary transit light curves. As observations, for example from Kepler, CoRot, and Most, become more precise then a greater understanding of limb-darkening is necessary. However, limb-darkening is typically modeled as simple parameterizations fit to plane-parallel model stellar atmospheres that ignores stellar atmospheric extension. In this work, I compute linear, quadratic and four-parameter limb-darkening laws from grids of plane-parallel and spherically-symmetric model stellar atmospheres in a temperature and gravity range representing stars evolving on the Red Giant branch. The limb-darkening relations for each geometry are compared and are found to fit plane-parallel models much better than the spherically-symmetric models. Assuming that limb-darkening from spherically-symmetry model atmospheres are more physically representative of actual stellar limb-darkening than plane-parallel models, then these limb-darkening laws will not fit the limb of a stellar disk leading to errors in a light curve fit. This error will increase with a star's atmospheric extension.

Connecting the endpoints of massive star evolution with the various types of core-collapse supernovae (SNe) is ultimately the fundamental puzzle to be explored and solved. We can assemble clues indirectly, e.g., from information about the environments in which stars explode and establish constraints on the evolutionary phases of these stars. However, this is best accomplished through direct identification of the actual star that has exploded in pre-supernova imaging, preferably in more than one photometric band, where color and luminosity for the star can be precisely measured. We can then interpret the star's properties in light of expectations from the latest massive stellar evolutionary models, to attempt to assign an initial mass to the progenitor. So far, this has been done most successfully for SNe II-P, for which we now know that red supergiants in a relatively limited initial mass range are responsible. More recently, we have limited examples of the progenitors of SNe II-L, IIn, and IIb. The progenitors of SNe Ib and Ic, however, have been elusive so far; I will discuss the current status of our knowledge of this particular channel.

Observational contraints on the evolution and instabilities of massive stars at very low metallicities are limited. Most of the information come from HST observations of one target, I Zw 18. Recent distance estimates of I Zw 18 put it at 17 Mpc, moving detailed studies of single stars clearly beyond the range of current ground based telescopes. Since massive stars with metallcities of 1/10 of solar and below are our best proxies for massive stars in (proto-) galaxies around the time of reionization, finding them and studying their evolution and instabilities is of premium importance for our understanding of galaxy formation, feedback, and the IGM reionization. Here we present pilot study results of variable stars in two more nearby extremely low metallicity galaxies, UGC 5340 and UGCA 292, and comment on the possibilities of more detailed studies of variable massive stars with new ground-based instrumentation.

The stellar winds of A supergiants can have a significant influence on their emergent spectra. Here we present the hydrogen line profiles of a model based on the stellar parameters of HD 12953. The radiative transfer equation is solved in two dimensions in axial symmetry. We do not include the velocity field by the Sobolev approximation, but in detail using the Lorentz transformation. This allows us to correctly include the stellar wind, since the velocity gradients in A supergiants are too small for the Sobolev approximation to be valid.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html