Can pulsational instabilities impact a massive star's rotational evolution?

TL;DR

This paper explores how pulsational instabilities in massive stars can influence their rotational evolution by redistributing angular momentum and inducing mixing near the core, affecting stellar evolution.

Contribution

It demonstrates that unstable pulsation modes can significantly impact angular momentum transport and induce shear mixing in massive stars, a novel insight into stellar evolution mechanisms.

Findings

Pulsation modes can redistribute angular momentum effectively.

Pulsations trigger shear-instability mixing near the core.

Impacts on the evolutionary pathways of massive stars.

Abstract

We investigate whether angular momentum transport due to unstable pulsation modes can play a significant role in the rotational evolution of massive stars. We find that these modes can redistribute appreciable angular momentum, and moreover trigger shear-instability mixing in the molecular weight gradient zone adjacent to stellar cores, with significant evolutionary impact.