Spectroscopic and physical parameters of Galactic O-type stars. III. Mass discrepancy and rotational mixing

TL;DR

This study compares observed properties of Galactic O stars with stellar evolution models, revealing discrepancies in nitrogen enrichment and mass estimates, and suggests the need for including binarity and magnetic fields in models.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison of observed and predicted surface abundances in O stars, highlighting limitations of current rotational mixing models and proposing additional physical processes.

Findings

Mass discrepancy confirmed in low-mass O stars.

Strong nitrogen enrichment in massive, evolved stars suggests rotational mixing.

Current models fail to accurately reproduce observed surface abundances.

Abstract

Massive stars play a key role in the evolution of the Universe. Our goal is to compare observed and predicted properties of single Galactic O stars to identify and constrain uncertain physical parameters and processes in stellar evolution and atmosphere models. We used a sample of 53 objects with spectral types from O3 to O9.7. For 30 of these, we determined the main photospheric and wind parameters, using optical spectroscopy and applying the FASTWIND code. For the remaining objects, literature data, obtained by means of the CMFGEN code, were used instead. The properties of our sample were compared to published predictions based on two grids evolution models that include rotationally induced mixing. Within each luminosity class, we find a close correlation of N surface abundance and luminosity, and a stronger N enrichment in more massive and evolved O stars. Additionally, a correlation of the surface nitrogen and helium abundances is observed. The large number of nitrogen-enriched stars above ~30 solar masses argues for rotationally induced mixing as the most likely explanation. However, none of the considered models can match the observed trends correctly, especially in the high mass regime. We confirm mass discrepancy for objects in the low mass O-star regime. We conclude that the rotationally induced mixing of helium to the stellar surface is too strong in some of the models. We also suggest that present inadequacies of the models to represent the N enrichment in more massive stars with relatively slow rotation might be related to problematic efficiencies of rotational mixing. We are left with a picture in which invoking binarity and magnetic fields is required to achieve a more complete agreement of the observed surface properties of a population of massive main- sequence stars with corresponding evolutionary models.