Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

12-1-2007

Published In

Massive Stars As Cosmic Engines: Proceedings Of The 250th Symposium Of The International Astronomical Union

Series Title

Proceedings Of The International Astronomical Union

Abstract

Young O stars are strong, hard, and variable X-ray sources, properties which strongly affect their circumstellar and galactic environments. After ~1 Myr, these stars settle down to become steady sources of soft X-rays. I use high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy and MHD modeling to show that young O stars like theta-1 Ori C are well explained by the magnetically channeled wind shock scenario. After their magnetic fields dissipate, older O stars produce X-rays via shock heating in their unstable stellar winds. Here too I use X-ray spectroscopy and numerical modeling to confirm this scenario. In addition to elucidating the nature and cause of the O star X-ray emission, modeling of the high-resolution X-ray spectra of O supergiants provides strong evidence that mass-loss rates of these O stars have been overestimated.

Published By

Cambridge University Press

Editor(s)

F. Bresolin, P. A. Crowther, and J. Puls, eds.

Conference

IAU Symposium 250: Massive Stars As Cosmic Engines

Conference Dates

December 10-14, 2007

Conference Location

Kauai, HI

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of the International Astronomical Union and Kluwer.
This work is a preprint retrieved from arXiv.org at arXiv:0802.0046.

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