Evolution and chemical and dynamical effects of high-mass stars

TL;DR

This paper reviews the characteristics and nucleosynthesis of high-mass stars, emphasizing the role of rotation in explaining observed chemical abundances and their impact on galactic chemical evolution.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of rotating stellar models in accounting for primary nitrogen production and other elemental variations at different metallicities.

Findings

Rotating models better reproduce primary nitrogen production.

Rotating stars influence C/O and N/O ratios across metallicities.

Metallicity-dependent stellar winds affect supernova type ratios.

Abstract

We review general characteristics of massive stars, present the main observable constraints that stellar models should reproduce. We discuss the impact of massive star nucleosynthesis on the early phases of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way (MW). We show that rotating models can account for the important primary nitrogen production needed at low metallicity. Interestingly such rotating models can also better account for other features as the variation with the metallicity of the C/O ratio. Damped Lyman Alpha (DLA) systems present similar characteristics as the halo of the MW for what concern the N/O and C/O ratios. Although in DLAs, the star formation history might be quite different from that of the halo, in these systems also, rotating stars (both massive and intermediate) probably play an important role for explaining these features. The production of primary nitrogen is accompanied by an overproduction of other elements as $^{13}$C, $^{22}$Ne and s-process elements. We show also how the observed variation with the metallicity of the number ratio of type Ibc to type II supernovae may be a consequence of the metallicity dependence of the line-driven stellar winds.