Evolution of Wolf-Rayet stars as black hole progenitors

Evolved Wolf-Rayet stars form a key aspect of massive star evolution, and their strong outflows determine their final fates. In this study, we calculate grids of stellar models for a wide range of initial masses at five metallicities (ranging from solar down to just 2 per cent solar). We compare a recent hydrodynamically consistent wind prescription with two earlier frequently used wind recipes in stellar evolution and population synthesis modelling, and we present the ranges of maximum final masses at core He-exhaustion for each wind prescription and metallicity Z. Our model grids reveal qualitative differences in mass-loss behaviour of the wind prescriptions in terms of 'convergence'. Using the prescription from Nugis & Lamers the maximum stellar black hole is found to converge to a value of 20-30 M-circle dot, independent of host metallicity; however, when utilizing the new physically motivated prescription from Sander & Vink there is no convergence to a maximum black hole mass value. The final mass is simply larger for larger initial He-star mass, which implies that the upper black hole limit for He-stars below the pair-instability gap is set by prior evolution with mass loss, or the pair instability itself. Quantitatively, we find the critical Z for pair-instability (Z(PI)) to be as high as 50 per cent Z(circle dot), corresponding to the host metallicity of the Large Magellanic Cloud. Moreover, while the Nugis & Lamers prescription would not predict any black holes above the approx 130 M-circle dot pair-instability limit, with Sander & Vink winds included, we demonstrate a potential channel for very massive helium stars to form such massive black holes at similar to 2 per cent Z(circle dot) or below

Optically thick structure in early B-type supergiant stellar winds at low metallicities

Accurate determination of mass-loss rates from massive stars is important to understand stellar and galactic evolution and enrichment of the interstellar medium. Large-scale structure and variability in stellar winds have significant effects on mass-loss rates. Time-series observations provide direct quantification of such variability. Observations of this nature are available for some Galactic early supergiant stars but not yet for stars in lower metallicity environments such as the Magellanic Clouds. We utilize ultraviolet spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope ULLYSES program to demonstrate that the presence of structure in stellar winds of supergiant stars at low metallicities may be discerned from single-epoch spectra. We find evidence that, for given stellar luminosities and mean stellar wind optical depths, structure is more prevalent at higher metallicities. We confirm, at Large Magellanic Cloud (0.5 Z☉), Small Magellanic Cloud (0.2 Z☉), and lower (0.14–0.1 Z☉) metallicities, earlier Galactic results that there does not appear to be correlation between the degree of structure in stellar winds of massive stars and stellar effective temperature. Similar lack of correlation is found with regard to terminal velocity of stellar winds. Additional and revised values for radial velocities of stars and terminal velocities of stellar winds are presented. Direct evidence of temporal variability, on time-scales of several days, in stellar wind at low metallicity is found. We illustrate that narrow absorption components in wind-formed profiles of Galactic OB stellar spectra remain common in early B supergiant spectra at low metallicities, providing means for better constraining hot, massive star mass-loss rates

The earliest O-type eclipsing binary in the Small Magellanic Cloud, AzV 476: A comprehensive analysis reveals surprisingly low stellar masses

CONTEXT: Massive stars at low metallicity are among the main feedback agents in the early Universe and in present-day star forming galaxies. When in binaries, these stars are potential progenitors of gravitational-wave events. Knowledge of stellar masses is a prerequisite to understanding evolution and feedback of low-metallicity massive stars. AIMS: Using abundant spectroscopic and photometric measurements of an outstandingly bright eclipsing binary, we compare its dynamic, spectroscopic, and evolutionary mass estimates and develop a binary evolution scenario. METHODS: We comprehensively studied the eclipsing binary system, AzV 476, in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The light curve and radial velocities were analyzed to obtain the orbital parameters. The photometric and spectroscopic data in the UV and optical were analyzed using the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmospheres. The obtained results are interpreted using detailed binaryevolution tracks including mass transfer. RESULTS: AzV 476 consists of an O4 IV-III((f))p primary and an O9.5: Vn secondary. Both components have similar current masses (20 M_{\odot} and 18 M_{\odot}) obtained consistently from both the orbital and spectroscopic analysis. The effective temperatures are 42 kK and 32 kK, respectively. The wind mass-loss rate of log(M˙ /(M_{\odot}yr^{-1})) = −6.2 of the primary is a factor of ten higher than a recent empirical prescription for single O stars in the SMC. Only close-binary evolution with mass transfer can reproduce the current stellar and orbital parameters, including orbital separation, eccentricity, and the rapid rotation of the secondary. The binary evolutionary model reveals that the primary has lost about half of its initial mass and is already core helium burning. CONCLUSIONS: Our comprehensive analysis of AzV 476 yields a consistent set of parameters and suggests previous case B mass transfer. The derived stellar masses agree within their uncertainties. The moderate masses of AzV 476 underline the scarcity of bright massive stars in the SMC. The core helium burning nature of the primary indicates that stripped stars might be hidden among OB-type populations

The first dynamical mass determination of a nitrogen-rich Wolf-Rayet star using a combined visual and spectroscopic orbit

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from IOP Publishing via the DOI in this recordWe present the first visual orbit for the nitrogen-rich Wolf-Rayet binary, WR 133 (WN5o + O9I), based on observations made with the CHARA Array and the MIRC-X combiner. This orbit represents the first visual orbit for a WN star and only the third Wolf-Rayet star with a visual orbit. The orbit has a period of 112.8 days, a moderate eccentricity of 0.36, and a separation of a = 0.79 mas on the sky. We combine the visual orbit with an SB2 orbit and Gaia parallax to find that the derived masses of the component stars are MWR = 9.3 ±1.6M⊙ and MO = 22.6 ±3.2M⊙, with the large errors owing to the nearly face-on geometry of the system combined with errors in the spectroscopic parameters. We also derive an orbital parallax that is identical to the Gaia-determined distance. We present a preliminary spectral analysis and atmosphere models of the component stars, and find the mass-loss rate in agreement with polarization variability and our orbit. However, the derived masses are low compared to the spectral types and spectral model. Given the close binary nature, we suspect that WR 133 should have formed through binary interactions, and represents an ideal target for testing evolutionary models given its membership in the cluster NGC 6871.National Science FoundationNOAO community access programEuropean Union Horizon 2020European Research Council (ERC)Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)NAS

Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM) Enhanced multiplicity of early B-type dwarfs and giants at Z = 0.2 Z

\ua9 The Authors 2025. Early B-type stars with initial masses between 8 and 15 M are frequently found in multiple systems, as is evidenced by multi-epoch spectroscopic campaigns in the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Previous studies have shown no strong metallicity dependence in the close-binary (a < 10 au) fraction or orbital-period distributions between the Milky Way’s solar metallicity (Z) and that of the LMC (Z = 0.5 Z). However, similar analyses for a large sample of massive stars in more metal-poor environments are still scarce. We focus on 309 early B-type stars (luminosity classes III-V) from the Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM) campaign, which targeted nearly 1000 massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC, Z = 0.2 Z) using VLT/FLAMES multi-epoch spectroscopy. By applying binary detection criteria consistent with previous works on Galactic and LMC samples, we identify 153 stars (91 SB1, 59 SB2, 3 SB3) exhibiting significant radial-velocity (RV) variations, resulting in an observed multiplicity fraction of fmultobs = 50 \ub1 3%. Using Monte Carlo simulations to account for observational biases, we infer an intrinsic close-binary fraction of fmult = 80 \ub1 8%. This fraction reduces to ∼55% when increasing our RV threshold from 20 to 80 km s−1; however, an independent Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis of the peak-to-peak RV distribution (∆RVmax) confirms a high multiplicity fraction of fmult = 79 \ub1 5%. These findings suggest a possible anti-correlation between metallicity and the fraction of close B-type binaries, with the SMC multiplicity fraction significantly exceeding previous measurements in the LMC and the Galaxy. The enhanced fraction of close binaries at SMC’s low metallicity may have broad implications for massive-star evolution in the early Universe. More frequent mass transfer and envelope stripping could boost the production of exotic transients, stripped supernovae, gravitational-wave progenitors, and sustained UV ionising flux, potentially affecting cosmic reionisation. Theoretical predictions of binary evolution under metal-poor conditions will provide a key test of our results

Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM) The multiplicity properties and evolution of BAF-type supergiants

\ua9 The Authors 2025. Given the uncertain evolutionary status of blue supergiant stars, their multiplicity properties hold vital clues to better understand their origin and evolution. As part of The Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM) campaign in the Small Magellanic Cloud, we present a multi-epoch spectroscopic survey of 128 supergiant stars of spectral type B5–F5, which roughly correspond to initial masses in the 6–30 M range. The observed binary fraction for the B5–9 supergiants is 25 \ub1 6% (10 \ub1 4%) and 5 \ub1 2% (0%) for the A–F stars, which were found using a radial-velocity (RV) variability threshold of 5 km s−1 (10 km s−1) as a criterion for binarity. Accounting for observational biases, we find an intrinsic multiplicity fraction of less than 18% for the B5–9 stars and 8+−97% for the AF stars, for the orbital periods up to 103.5 days and mass ratios (q) in the 0.1 < q < 1 range. The large stellar radii of these supergiant stars prevent short orbital periods, but we demonstrate that this effect alone cannot explain our results. We assessed the spectra and RV time series of the detected binary systems and find that only a small fraction display convincing solutions. We conclude that the multiplicity fractions are compromised by intrinsic stellar variability, such that the true multiplicity fraction may be significantly smaller. Our main conclusions from comparing the multiplicity properties of the B5–9- and AF-type supergiants to that of their less evolved counterparts is that such stars cannot be explained by a direct evolution from the main sequence. Furthermore, by comparing their multiplicity properties to red supergiant stars, we conclude that the AF supergiant stars are neither progenitors nor descendants of red supergiants

Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM) Multiplicity properties of Oe and Be stars

\ua9 The Authors 2025. Context. Rapidly rotating classical OBe stars have been proposed as the products of binary interactions, and the fraction of Be stars with compact companions implies that at least some are. However, to constrain the interaction physics spinning up the OBe stars, a large sample of homogeneously analyzed OBe stars with well-determined binary characteristics and orbital parameters are required. Aims. We investigated the multiplicity properties of a sample of 18 Oe, 62 Be, and two Of?p stars observed within the BLOeM survey in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We analyzed the first nine epochs of spectroscopic observations obtained over approximately three months in 2023. Methods. Radial velocities (RVs) of all stars were measured using cross-correlation based on different sets of absorption and emission lines. Applying commonly used binarity criteria, we classified objects as binaries, binary candidates, and apparently single (RV stable) objects. We further inspected the spectra for double-lined spectroscopic binaries and cross-matched with catalogs of X-ray sources and photometric binaries. Results. We classify 14 OBe stars as binaries, and an additional 11 as binary candidates. The two Of?p stars are apparently single. We find two more objects that are most likely currently interacting binaries. Without those, the observed binary fraction for the remaining OBe sample of 78 stars is fOBeobs = 0.18 \ub1 0.04 (fOBeobs+cand = 0.32\ub10.05 including candidates). This binary fraction is less than half of that measured for OB stars in BLOeM. Combined with the lower fraction of SB2s, this suggests that OBe stars do indeed have fundamentally different present-day binary properties than OB stars. We find no evidence for OBe binaries with massive compact companions, in contrast to expectations from binary population synthesis. Conclusions. Our results support the binary scenario as an important formation channel for OBe stars, as post-interaction binaries may have been disrupted or the stripped companions of OBe stars are harder to detect. Further observations are required to characterize the detected binaries, their orbital parameters, and the nature of their companions

Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM): A spectroscopic VLT monitoring survey of massive stars in the SMC

\ua9 The Authors 2024.Surveys in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud have revealed that the majority of massive stars will interact with companions during their lives. However, knowledge of the binary properties of massive stars at low metallicity, and therefore in conditions approaching those of the Early Universe, remain sparse. We present the Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM) campaign, an ESO large programme designed to obtain 25 epochs of spectroscopy for 929 massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, allowing us to probe multiplicity in the lowest-metallicity conditions to date (Z = 0.2 Z⊙). BLOeM will provide (i) the binary fraction, (ii) the orbital configurations of systems with periods of P ≲ 3 yr, (iii) dormant black-hole binary candidates (OB+BH), and (iv) a legacy database of physical parameters of massive stars at low metallicity. Main sequence (OB-type) and evolved (OBAF-type) massive stars are observed with the LR02 setup of the GIRAFFE instrument of the Very Large Telescope (3960- 4570 \uc5 resolving power R = 6200; typical signal-to-noise ratio(S/N) ≈70- 100). This paper utilises the first nine epochs obtained over a three-month time period. We describe the survey and data reduction, perform a spectral classification of the stacked spectra, and construct a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of the sample via spectral-type and photometric calibrations. Our detailed classification reveals that the sample covers spectral types from O4 to F5, spanning the effective temperature and luminosity ranges 6.5 ≲ Teff/kK ≲ 45 and 3.7 < log L/L⊙ < 6.1 and initial masses of 8 ≲ Mini ≲ 80 M⊙. The sample comprises 159 O-type stars, 331 early B-type (B0- 3) dwarfs and giants (luminosity classes V- III), 303 early B-type supergiants (II- I), and 136 late-type BAF supergiants. At least 82 stars are OBe stars: 20 O-type and 62 B-type (13% and 11% of the respective samples). In addition, the sample includes 4 high-mass X-ray binaries, 3 stars resembling luminous blue variables, 2 bloated stripped-star candidates, 2 candidate magnetic stars, and 74 eclipsing binaries

X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive stars at low metallicity: I. Project description

Observations of individual massive stars, super-luminous supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and gravitational wave events involving spectacular black hole mergers indicate that the low-metallicity Universe is fundamentally different from our own Galaxy. Many transient phenomena will remain enigmatic until we achieve a firm understanding of the physics and evolution of massive stars at low metallicity (Z). The Hubble Space Telescope has devoted 500 orbits to observing ∼250 massive stars at low Z in the ultraviolet (UV) with the COS and STIS spectrographs under the ULLYSES programme. The complementary X-Shooting ULLYSES (XShootU) project provides an enhanced legacy value with high-quality optical and near-infrared spectra obtained with the wide-wavelength coverage X-shooter spectrograph at ESOa's Very Large Telescope. We present an overview of the XShootU project, showing that combining ULLYSES UV and XShootU optical spectra is critical for the uniform determination of stellar parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, luminosity, and abundances, as well as wind properties such as mass-loss rates as a function of Z. As uncertainties in stellar and wind parameters percolate into many adjacent areas of astrophysics, the data and modelling of the XShootU project is expected to be a game changer for our physical understanding of massive stars at low Z. To be able to confidently interpret James Webb Space Telescope spectra of the first stellar generations, the individual spectra of low-Z stars need to be understood, which is exactly where XShootU can deliver

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe