Helium and Nitrogen Enrichment in Massive Main Sequence Stars: Mechanisms and Implications for the Origin of WNL Stars

The evolutionary paths taken by massive stars with $M \gtrsim 60 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$ remain substantially uncertain. They begin their lives as main sequence (MS) O-stars. Depending on their masses, rotation rates, and metallicities, they can then encounter a wide range of evolutionary states with an equally broad set of possible surface compositions and spectral classifications. We present a new grid of calculations for the evolution of such stars that covers a broad range in mass, M/M$_\odot = 60$ to $150$, rotation rate, $v \, / \, v_{\rm crit} = 0$ to $0.6$, metallicity, $[\mathrm{Fe}/\mathrm{H}] = -4$ to $0$, and $\alpha$-element enhancement, $[\alpha/\mathrm{Fe}] = 0$ to $0.4$. We show that rotating stars undergo rotationally-induced dredge-up of nucleosynthetic products, mostly He and N, to their surfaces while still on the MS. Non-rotating metal-rich stars also reveal the products of nucleosynthesis on their surfaces because even modest amounts of mass loss expose their "fossil" convective cores: regions that are no longer convective, but which were part of the convective core at an early stage in the star's evolution. Thus surface enhancement of He and N is expected for rotating stars at all metallicities, and for non-rotating stars if they are relatively metal-rich. We calculate a stellar atmosphere for a representative model from our grid, properly accounting for He- and N-enhancement, and show that the resulting spectrum provides a good match to observed WNL stars, strongly suggesting that the physical mechanisms we have identified are the ultimate cause of the WNL phase.Comment: 21 pages, 18 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS, in pres

Surface Electromagnetic Waves with Damping. I. Isotropic Media

Surface-Electromagnetic-Wave Dispersion Curves Are Usually Calculated using a Simple Equation Derived from Maxwell\u27s Equations and Boundary Conditions. When Complex Dielectric Functions Are Used for the Two Media, the Component of the Propagation Vector Along the Surface, Kx, Becomes Infinite as the Frequency Approaches the Surface Polariton Frequency Ωs If Ω is Considered Complex and Kx is Real. on the Other Hand, If Kx is Considered Complex and Ω Real, the Dispersion Curves Bend Back Toward Smaller Kx as Ω Approaches Ωs. We Have Previously Demonstrated that Both Types of Behavior Can Be Obtained from Attenuated-Total-Reflection Measurements of Silver. We Now Extend This Result to Other Materials and Show that Dispersion Curves Alone Present an Inadequate Summary of the Data. © 1976 the American Physical Society

Dispersion Curves for Surface Electromagnetic Waves with Damping

The Recent Observation of Back bending in the Dispersion Curves of Surface Plasmons on Silver Can Be Explained by Use of Fresnel\u27s Equations. in the Presence of Damping, the Results of Attenuated-Total-Reflection Measurements Can Be Displayed as Dispersion Curves Either with or Without Back bending. the Measurements for Silver with Back Bending Are Expected for Experiments in Which the Frequency is Fixed, and the Propagation Constant (Or Angle of Incidence) is Swept. © 1974 the American Physical Society

Surface Electromagnetic Waves with Damping. II. Anisotropic Media

The Technique of Plotting the Attenuated-Total-Reflection (ATR) Reflectance as a Function of Both Frequency and Incident Angle using a Three-Dimensional Plot is Applied to Surface Electromagnetic Waves (SEW) in a Uniaxial Material, MnF2. It is Shown that Dispersion Curves Calculated Without Absorption Do Not Completely Describe the ATR Reflectivity. Experimental Data Confirming the Reflectance Surface Features Are Presented. Also, Additional Minima in the Reflectance Surface Not Associated with SEW Are Discussed. © 1977 the American Physical Society

I.R. Lattice-Vibration Spectra of MnF2

The Room Temperature Reflectivity of MnF2 Has Been Measured in the Far I.r. between 50 and 800 Cm-1. the Reflectivity Spectra Show Four I.r.-Active Modes Which Can Be Identified as Eu and A2u Modes. the Spectra Also Show Structure Which Might Be Related to Multiphonon Effects. the Dielectric Functions Were Determined by Fitting the Reflectivity Data with Classical Oscillator Parameters. © 1974

An optical fiber hydrogen sensor using a palladium-coated ball lens

A self-referenced optical fiber refractometer using a ball lens as a sensor head has been developed and characterized. A 350-μm ball lens created at the tip of a single mode fiber has been coated with a 40-nm optically thin layer of palladium that reacts with hydrogen to form a hydride, which has a lower reflectivity than pure palladium. Optical reflectance measurements from the tip of the ball lens were performed to determine the hydrogen response. The change in reflectivity is proportional to the hydrogen concentration in the range 0% to 1% hydrogen in air with a detection limit down to 10 ppm (1σ) in air. This technique offers a simple sensor head arrangement, with a larger sampling area (~40 times) than a typical single-mode fiber core. A statistical image analysis of a palladium film, with cracks created by accelerated failure, confirms that the anticipated sensor area for a ball lens sensor head has a more predictable reflectivity than that of a bare fiber core

Improving Continuous-variable Quantum Channels with Unitary Averaging

A significant hurdle for quantum information and processing using bosonic systems are stochastic phase errors, which are likely to occur as the photons propagate through a channel. We propose and demonstrate a scheme of passive, linear optical unitary averaging for protecting Gaussian channels. The scheme requires only linear optical elements and vacuum detectors, and protects against a loss of purity, squeezing and entanglement. We present numerical simulations and analytical formula, tailored for currently relevant parameters with low noise levels, where our approximations perform exceptionally well. We also show the asymptotic nature of the protocol, highlighting both current and future relevance.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Can pre-supernova winds from massive stars enrich the interstellar medium with nitrogen at high redshift?

Understanding the nucleosynthetic origin of nitrogen and the evolution of the N/O ratio in the interstellar medium is crucial for a comprehensive picture of galaxy chemical evolution at high-redshift because most observational metallicity (O/H) estimates are implicitly dependent on the N/O ratio. The observed N/O at high-redshift shows an overall constancy with O/H, albeit with a large scatter. We show that these heretofore unexplained features can be explained by the pre-supernova wind yields from rotating massive stars (M$\gtrsim 10 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$, $v/v_{\rm{crit}} \gtrsim 0.4$). Our models naturally produce the observed N/O plateau, as well as the scatter at low O/H. We find the scatter to arise from varying star formation efficiency. However, the models that have supernovae dominated yields produce a poor fit to the observed N/O at low O/H. This peculiar abundance pattern at low O/H suggests that dwarf galaxies are most likely to be devoid of SNe yields and are primarily enriched by pre-supernova wind abundances.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, published in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union No. 366, 2022 titled "The Origin of Outflows in Evolved Stars