The mass-loss dominated lives of the most massive stars

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new spectroscopic method to calibrate mass-loss rates in massive stars, enabling predictions of their ultimate fates such as pair-instability supernovae and long gamma-ray bursts, especially at low metallicity.

Contribution

It presents a novel spectroscopic calibration technique for mass-loss rates and applies it to predict the final outcomes of massive stars at low metallicity.

Findings

New spectroscopic calibration method for mass-loss rates

Predictions of stellar fates including pair-instability and GRBs at low metallicity

Enhanced understanding of massive star evolution

Abstract

Utrecht has a long tradition in both spectroscopy and mass-loss studies. Here we present a novel methodology to calibrate mass-loss rates on purely spectroscopic grounds. We utilize this to predict the final fates of massive stars, involving pair-instability and long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) at low metallicity Z.