Date of Award
Spring 2022
Document Type
Thesis
Terms of Use
© 2022 Jiaming Wang. All rights reserved. This work is freely available courtesy of the author. It may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Physics & Astronomy Department
First Advisor
David H. Cohen
Abstract
We apply two mass-loss rate diagnostics described in the thesis on Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray spectroscopic measurements of ζ Pup, one of the most luminous stars in the Milky Way and one of the closest O stars to Earth. Emission line profile analysis from new long Chandra grating observations taken during 2018 and 2019 indicates a significant 40% increase in ζ Pup’s wind mass-loss rate as compared to data taken in Chandra’s first observation cycle in 2000. Broadband spectral modeling of 20 years of XMM observations also reveal non-periodic wind mass-loss rate variation at a 40% level on timescales of months to years. These results are surprising as the mass-loss rates of massive stars are predicted to be constant.
Recommended Citation
Wang, Jiaming , '22, "X-ray Spectroscopy of the O Supergiant ζ Puppis Indicates Surprising Variation in the Wind Mass-loss Rate on Years Timescales" (2022). Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards. 684.
https://works.swarthmore.edu/theses/684