Radiative Ablation of Disks Around Massive Stars

Hot, massive stars (spectral types O and B) have extreme luminosities ($10^4 -10^6 L_\odot$) that drive strong stellar winds through UV line-scattering. Some massive stars also have disks, formed by either decretion from the star (as in the rapidly rotating "Classical Be stars"), or accretion during the star's formation. This dissertation examines the role of stellar radiation in driving (ablating) material away from these circumstellar disks. A key result is that the observed month to year decay of Classical Be disks can be explained by line-driven ablation without, as previously done, appealing to anomalously strong viscous diffusion. Moreover, the higher luminosity of O stars leads to ablation of optically thin disks on dynamical timescales of order a day, providing a natural explanation for the lack of observed Oe stars. In addition to the destruction of Be disks, this dissertation also introduces a model for their formation by coupling observationally inferred non-radial pulsation modes and rapid stellar rotation to launch material into orbiting Keplerian disks. In contrast to such Be decretion disks, star-forming accretion disks are much denser and so are generally optically thick to continuum processes. To circumvent the computational challenges associated with radiation hydrodynamics through optically thick media, we develop an approximate method for treating continuum absorption in the limit of geometrically thin disks. The comparison of ablation with and without continuum absorption shows that accounting for disk optical thickness leads to less than a 50$\%$ reduction in ablation rate, implying that ablation rate depends mainly on stellar properties like luminosity.Comment: PhD dissertation, Univ Delaware, Fall 201

3D radiative transfer: Continuum and line scattering in non-spherical winds from OB stars

Context: State of the art quantitative spectroscopy of OB-stars compares synthetic spectra (calculated by means of 1D, spherically symmetric computer codes) with observations. Certain stellar atmospheres, however, show strong deviations from spherical symmetry, and need to be treated in 3D. Aims: We present a newly developed 3D radiative transfer code, tailored to the solution of the radiation field in rapidly expanding stellar atmospheres. We apply our code to the continuum transfer in wind-ablation models, and to the UV resonance line formation in magnetic winds. Methods: We have used a 3D finite-volume method for the solution of the equation of radiative transfer, to study continuum- and line-scattering problems. Convergence has been accelerated by a non-local approximate Lambda-iteration scheme. Particular emphasis has been put on careful (spherically symmetric) test cases. Results: Typical errors of the source functions, when compared to 1D solutions, are of the order of 10-20 %, and increase for optically thick continua. In circumstellar discs, the radiation temperatures in the (optically thin) transition region from wind to disc are quite similar to corresponding values in the wind. For MHD simulations of dynamical magnetospheres, the line profiles, calculated with our 3D code, agree well with previous solutions using a 3D-SEI method. When compared with profiles resulting from the `analytic dynamical magnetosphere' (ADM) model, significant differences become apparent. Conclusions: Due to similar radiation temperatures in the wind and the transition region to the disc, the same line-strength distribution can be applied within radiation hydrodynamic calculations for circumstellar discs in `accreting high-mass stars'. To properly describe the UV line formation in dynamical magnetospheres, the ADM model needs to be further developed, at least in a large part of the outer wind

Investigating the origin of cyclical wind variability in hot, massive stars - II. Hydrodynamical simulations of co-rotating interaction regions using realistic spot parameters for the O giant ξ\xi Persei

OB stars exhibit various types of spectral variability historically associated with wind structures, including the apparently ubiquitous discrete absorption components (DACs). These features have been proposed to be caused either by magnetic fields or non-radial pulsations. In this second paper of this series, we revisit the canonical phenomenological hydrodynamical modelling used to explain the formation of DACs by taking into account modern observations and more realistic theoretical predictions. Using constraints on putative bright spots located on the surface of the O giant $\xi$ Persei derived from high precision space-based broadband optical photometry obtained with the Microvariability and Oscillations of STars (MOST) space telescope, we generate two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of co-rotating interaction regions in its wind. We then compute synthetic ultraviolet (UV) resonance line profiles using Sobolev Exact Integration and compare them with historical timeseries obtained by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) to evaluate if the observed behaviour of $\xi$ Persei's DACs is reproduced. Testing three different models of spot size and strength, we find that the classical pattern of variability can be successfully reproduced for two of them: the model with the smallest spots yields absorption features that are incompatible with observations. Furthermore, we test the effect of the radial dependence of ionization levels on line driving, but cannot conclusively assess the importance of this factor. In conclusion, this study self-consistently links optical photometry and UV spectroscopy, paving the way to a better understanding of cyclical wind variability in massive stars in the context of the bright spot paradigm.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Theoretical wind clumping predictions of OB supergiants from line-driven instability simulations across the bi-stability jump

(Abridged) The behaviour of mass loss across bi-stability jump is a key uncertainty in models of massive stars. While an increase in mass loss is theoretically predicted, this has so far not been observationally confirmed. However, radiation-driven winds of massive stars are known to exhibit clumpy structures triggered by the line-deshadowing instability (LDI). Wind clumping affects empirical mass-loss rates inferred from density square-dependent spectral diagnostics. If clumping properties differ significantly for O and B supergiants across the bi-stability jump, this may help alleviate discrepancies between theory and observations. We investigate with analytical and numerical tools how the onset of clumpy structures behaves in the winds of O supergiants (OSG) and B supergiants (BSG) across the bi-stability jump. We derive a scaling relation for the linear growth rate of the LDI for a single optically thick line and apply it in both regimes. We run 1D time-dependent line-driven instability simulations to study the non-linear evolution of the LDI in clumpy OSG and BSG winds. Linear perturbation analysis for a single line shows that the LDI linear growth rate scales strongly with stellar effective temperature and terminal wind speed. This implies significantly lower growth rates for (cooler, slower) BSG winds than for OSG winds. This is confirmed by the non-linear simulations, which show significant differences in OSG and BSG wind structure formation, with the latter characterized by significantly weaker clumping factors and lower velocity dispersions. This suggests that lower correction factors due to clumping should be employed when deriving empirical mass-loss rates for BSGs on the cool side of the bi-stability jump. Moreover, the non-linear simulations provide a theoretical background toward explaining the general lack of observed intrinsic X-ray emission in (single) B star winds.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Identifying spin-triplet pairing in spin-orbit coupled multi-band superconductors

We investigate the combined effect of Hund's and spin-orbit (SO) coupling on superconductivity in multi-orbital systems. Hund's interaction leads to orbital-singlet spin-triplet superconductivity, where the Cooper pair wave function is antisymmetric under the exchange of two orbitals. We identify three d-vectors describing even-parity orbital-singlet spin-triplet pairings among t2g-orbitals, and find that the three d-vectors are mutually orthogonal to each other. SO coupling further assists pair formation, pins the orientation of the d-vector triad, and induces spin-singlet pairings with a relative phase difference of \pi/2. In the band basis the pseudospin d-vectors are aligned along the z-axis and correspond to momentum-dependent inter- and intra-band pairings. We discuss quasiparticle dispersion, magnetic response, collective modes, and experimental consequences in light of the superconductor Sr2RuO4.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Analytic, dust-independent mass-loss rates for red supergiant winds initiated by turbulent pressure

Context. Red supergiants are observed to undergo vigorous mass-loss. However, to date, no theoretical model has succeeded in explaining the origins of these objects' winds. This strongly limits our understanding of red supergiant evolution and Type II-P and II-L supernova progenitor properties. Aims. We examine the role that vigorous atmospheric turbulence may play in initiating and determining the mass-loss rates of red supergiant stars. Methods. We analytically and numerically solve the equations of conservation of mass and momentum, which we later couple to an atmospheric temperature structure, to obtain theoretically motivated mass-loss rates. We then compare these to state-of-the-art empirical mass-loss rate scaling formulae as well as observationally inferred mass-loss rates of red supergiants. Results. We find that the pressure due to the characteristic turbulent velocities inferred for red supergiants is sufficient to explain the mass-loss rates of these objects in the absence of the normally employed opacity from circumstellar dust. Motivated by this initial success, we provide a first theoretical and fully analytic mass-loss rate prescription for red supergiants. We conclude by highlighting some intriguing possible implications of these rates for future studies of stellar evolution, especially in light of the lack of a direct dependence on metallicity.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, 2 table

Half-quantum vortex and d-soliton in Sr2_2RuO4_4

Assuming that the superconductivity in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ is described by a planar p-wave order parameter, we consider possible topological defects in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$. In particular, it is shown that both of the ${\hat d}$-soliton and half-quantum vortex can be created in the presence of the magnetic field parallel to the $a$-$b$ plane. We discuss how one can detect the ${\hat d}$-soliton and half-quantum vortex experimentally.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure