Mass loss and stellar superwinds

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent models and observations of mass loss in massive stars, including O stars and very massive stars with Wolf-Rayet features, highlighting its importance for understanding supernova progenitors.

Contribution

It provides an overview of the latest theoretical models and observational data on mass loss in massive stars, emphasizing its role in supernova evolution.

Findings

Mass loss influences supernova progenitor mass.

Observations reveal circumstellar material around supernovae.

Models show different mass loss rates for O stars and VMS.

Abstract

Mass loss bridges the gap between massive stars and supernovae (SNe) in two major ways: (i) theoretically it is the amount of mass lost that determines the mass of the star prior to explosion, and (ii) observations of the circumstellar material around SNe may teach us the type of progenitor that made the SN. Here, I present the latest models and observations of mass loss from massive stars, both for canonical massive O stars, as well as very massive stars (VMS) that show Wolf-Rayet type features.