Mass loss and fate of the most massive stars

TL;DR

This paper predicts mass-loss rates for very massive stars (60-300 Msun) using a novel method, helping to determine their potential explosive outcomes like pair-instability supernovae or Type Ic supernovae.

Contribution

It introduces a new method to simultaneously predict wind velocities and mass-loss rates for very massive stars based on stellar parameters.

Findings

Mass-loss rates increase with metallicity and luminosity.

Predicted mass-loss rates suggest possible outcomes for the most massive stars.

The method provides insights into the evolutionary fate of stars up to 300 Msun.

Abstract

The fate of massive stars up to 300 Msun is highly uncertain. Do these objects produce pair-instability explosions, or normal Type Ic supernovae? In order to address these questions, we need to know their mass-loss rates during their lives. Here we present mass-loss predictions for very massive stars (VMS) in the range of 60-300 Msun. We use a novel method that simultaneously predicts the wind terminal velocities (vinf) and mass-loss rate (dM/dt) as a function of the stellar parameters: (i) luminosity/mass Gamma, (ii) metallicity Z, and (iii) effective temperature Teff. Using our results, we evaluate the likely outcomes for the most massive stars.