Hot-star wind models with magnetically split line blanketing

Fraction of hot stars posses strong magnetic fields that channel their radiatively driven outflows. We study the influence of line splitting in the magnetic field (Zeeman effect) on the wind properties. We use our own global wind code with radiative transfer in the comoving frame to understand the influence of the Zeeman splitting on the line force. We show that the Zeeman splitting has a negligible influence on the line force for magnetic fields that are weaker than about 100~kG. This means that the wind mass-loss rates and terminal velocities are not affected by the magnetic line splitting for magnetic fields as are typically found on the surface of nondegenerate stars. Neither have we found any strong flux variability that would be due to the magnetically split line blanketing.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Mass loss in main-sequence B stars

We calculate radiatively driven wind models of main-sequence B stars and provide the wind mass-loss rates and terminal velocities. The main-sequence mass-loss rate strongly depends on the stellar effective temperature. For the hottest B stars the mass-loss rate amounts to $10^{-9}\,\text{M}_\odot\,\text{year}^{-1}$, while for the cooler ones themass-loss rate is lower by more than three orders of magnitude. Main-sequence B stars with solar abundance and effective temperatures lower than about$15\,000\,\text{K}$ (later than spectral type B5) do not have any homogeneous line-driven wind. We predict the wind mass-loss rates for the solar chemical composition and for the modified abundance of heavier elements to study the winds of chemically peculiar stars. The mass-loss rate may either increase or decrease with increasing abundance, depending on the importance of the induced emergent flux redistribution. Stars with overabundant silicon may have homogeneous winds even below the solar abundance wind limit at $15\,000\,\text{K}$. The winds of main-sequence B stars lie below the static limit, that is, a static atmosphere solution is also possible. This points to an important problem regarding the initiation of these winds. We discuss the implications of our models for rotational braking, filling the magnetosphere of Bp stars, and for chemically peculiar stars.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, Astronomy&Astrophysics, in press, discussion extended and languange corrections include

Hot star wind models with new solar abundances

We compare the hot star wind models calculated assuming older solar abundance determination with models calculated using the recently published values derived from 3D hydrodynamical model atmospheres. We show that the use of new abundances with lower metallicity improves the agreement between wind observation and theory in several aspects: (1) The predicted wind mass-loss rates are lower by a factor of 0.76. This leads to a better agreement with mass-loss rate determinations derived from observations with account of clumping. (2) As a result of the lowering of mass-loss rates, there is a better agreement between predicted modified wind momentum-luminosity relationship and that derived from observations with account of clumping. (3) Both the lower mass fraction of heavier elements and lower mass-loss rates lead to a decrease of the opacity in the X-ray region. This has influence on the prediction of the X-ray line profile shapes. (4) There is a better agreement between predicted PV ionization fractions and those derived from observations.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letter

Effect of rotational mixing and metallicity on the hot star wind mass-loss rates

Hot star wind mass-loss rates depend on the abundance of individual elements. This dependence is usually accounted for assuming scaled solar chemical composition. However, this approach may not be justified in evolved rotating stars. The rotational mixing brings CNO-processed material to the stellar surface, increasing the abundance of nitrogen at the expense of carbon and oxygen, which potentially influences the mass-loss rates. We study the influence of the modified chemical composition resulting from the rotational mixing on the wind parameters, particularly the wind mass-loss rates. We use our NLTE wind code to predict the wind structure and compare the calculated wind mass-loss rate for the case of scaled solar chemical composition and the composition affected by the CNO cycle. We show that for a higher mass-fraction of heavier elements $Z/Z_\odot\gtrsim0.1$ the change of chemical composition from the scaled solar to the CNO-processed scaled solar composition does not significantly affect the wind mass-loss rates. The missing line force caused by carbon and oxygen is compensated for by nitrogen line force. However, for a very low-mass fraction of heavier elements $Z/Z_\odot\lesssim0.1$ the rotational mixing significantly affects the wind mass-loss rates. Moreover, the decrease of the mass-loss rate with metallicity is stronger at such low metallicities. We study the relevance of the wind momentum-luminosity relationship for different metallicities and show that for a metallicity $Z/Z_\odot\lesssim0.1$ the relationship displays a large scatter, which depreciates the use of this relationship at the lowest metallicities.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

CMF models of hot star winds II. Reduction of O star wind mass-loss rates in global models

We calculate global (unified) wind models of main-sequence, giant, and supergiant O stars from our Galaxy. The models are calculated by solving hydrodynamic, kinetic equilibrium (also known as NLTE) and comoving-frame (CMF) radiative transfer equations from the (nearly) hydrostatic photosphere to the supersonic wind. For given stellar parameters, our models predict the photosphere and wind structure and in particular the wind mass-loss rates without any free parameters. Our predicted mass-loss rates are by a factor of 2--5 lower than the commonly used predictions. A possible cause of the difference is abandoning of the Sobolev approximation for the calculation of the radiative force, because our models agree with predictions of CMF NLTE radiative transfer codes. Our predicted mass-loss rates agree nicely with the mass-loss rates derived from observed near-infrared and X-ray line profiles and are slightly lower than mass-loss rates derived from combined UV and H$\alpha$ diagnostics. The empirical mass-loss rate estimates corrected for clumping may therefore be reconciled with theoretical predictions in such a way that the average ratio between individual mass-loss rate estimates is not higher than about $1.6$. On the other hand, our predictions are by factor of $4.7$ lower than pure H$\alpha$ mass-loss rate estimates and can be reconciled with these values only assuming a microclumping factor of at least eight.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

The winds of the hot massive first stars

We study dynamical aspects of circumstellar environment around massive zero-metallicity first stars. For this purpose we apply our NLTE wind models. We show that the hydrogen-helium stellar wind from stationary massive first generation (Population III) stars (driven either by the line (bound-bound) or continuum (bound-free and free-free) transitions) is unlikely. The possibility of expulsion of chemically homogeneous wind and the role of minor isotopes are also discussed. Finally, we estimate the importance of hydrogen and helium lines for shutting off the initial accretion onto first stars and its influence on initial mass function of first stars.Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic