ISSN 1783-3426
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Obituary for Olivier Chesneau
OC
announcement: turning our Working Group into an IAU Commission
Next
Massive Stars Meeting: OC announcement
B fields in OB stars (BOB): The
discovery of a magnetic field in a multiple system in the Trifid
Nebula,
Mass loss in main-sequence
B stars
The dynamical properties of
dense filaments in the infrared dark cloud G035.39–00.33
Short
time scale spectral variability in the A0 supergiant HD92207 and the
importance of line profile variations for the interpretation of FORS2
spectropolarimetric observations
On
the Hα Behaviour of Blue Supergiants: Rise and Fall over the
Bi-stability Jump
The Effects of
Stellar Rotation. II. A Comprehensive Set of Starburst99
Models
Massive double compact
object mergers: gravitational wave sources and r-process element
production sites
X-rays from
Magnetically Confined Wind Shocks: Effect of Cooling-Regulated Shock
Retreat
Winds of low-metallicity
OB-type stars: HST-COS spectroscopy in IC1613
A
Modern Search for Wolf-Rayet Stars in the Magellanic Clouds: First
Results
Olivier Chesneau, still a
budding young astronomer, left us last week at age 42. He was struck
a couple of years ago by a rare form of Leukemia, which finally
consumed him. This was a great loss, not only because Olivier was
simply a great guy and popular collaborator, but also because he was
energetic and prolific in his science output. Anyone who writes his
last paper on his death bed surrounded by his collaborators must be
unusually courageous yet humble. A quick examination with ADS reveals
a total of some 240 publications since 1998, ramping rapidly up to
the present, of which over 90 (even more if one counts the SPIE
papers) were in refereed journals. Many of these papers dealt with
massive stars, the latest mentioned above being a first-author paper
about interferometrically resolving the famous late-B supergiant
Rigel.
Olivier has left a wonderful legacy in his published
work of extraordinary quality and quantity. His dream was to reach a
happy marriage between interferometry and (spectro-) polarimetry,
where the gains would be enormous: what is 0.1% polarization in an
unresolved star could suddenly become 1 or 10% or more when resolved.
And I think he has advanced the field in that direction already.
I
was particularly honoured as one of his three doctoral co-supervisors
(that seems to be how many he needed to deal with his abundant
energy!), after his masters’ studies (DEC in France at the time) in
Strasbourg with long-time colleague and friend Agnes Acker, who
helped initiate a co-tutelle involving herself, Farokh Vakili
(Observatoire de la Côte d`Azur) and myself. This allowed Olivier to
obtain a doctorate in France simultaneously with a PhD from North
America - not a bad accomplishment. I like to think that this might
have helped him reach the level he did, but that may be wishful
thinking, since he most likely made it largely on his own laurels,
which amply proved themselves in his latest permanent position at
Observatoire de la Côte d`Azur.
The last time I saw him in
person was in 2011 at the so-called Tonyfest at Lac du Taureau,
Quebec Province. He was in fine form in all ways, including
scientifically, paddling canoes, at beach-volleyball and in his
extraordinary musical talents. As he said in his last email to me:
“Yes, music is in my blood and I have really the brain connected to
the instrument, and this for a long time.” He could play just about
any music by ear on the spot on either the piano or the clarinet, the
latter being an instrument that I struggled with in my youth. He was
truly a gifted musician and I suspect this extended into many areas
of his all-too-short life.
In his last weeks, I had some
wonderful email correspondence with Olivier. Each time I read them I
have to pinch myself in realizing that he is now gone. The pain will
linger for quite a while yet. Sincere condolences to Olivier`s wife
Martine and the kids from the Massive Star Community.
Tony
Moffat
Weblink:
Email:
moffat@astro.umontreal.ca
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contents
Dear Massive Stars Working Group members,
last
year, after some discussion our working group took
the decision
to transform into an IAU commission.
This idea was hold on
standby, as at the same time the IAU
initiated a process to
re-organize their divisions and commissions.
Now, the IAU has
started the process of Commissions reform.
You can find all
details in the IAU announcement:
http://www.iau.org/news/announcements/detail/ann14008/
The
Organizing Committee of our working group will submit a Letter of
Intent
by October 15th, 2014, proposing a Massive Stars
Commission. From that date
and up to January 31st, 2015 IAU
members will have the opportunity to indicate
their preferences
for the different Commissions in an electronic poll.
These
preferences might quite likely play a role in the final Commissions
selection by the IAU Executive Committee (15-17 April 2015).
Becoming an IAU Commission will give us more weight in IAU
decisions
(like Symposia and meetings approval) and other
advantages,
and will give our community more visibility.
It
is thus important that all IAU members of the Massive Stars Working
Group
support the Massive Stars Commission proposal by joining
this electronic poll
later this year (the OC will issue an
announcement when the process starts).
If you are not an IAU
member you won't be able to participate in the poll.
Moreover,
Commission members have to be IAU members (a requisite that does not
hold for working group members). We will seek a mechanism for
non-IAU
members to continue being involved in the possible new
Commission,
but nevertheless if you are not an IAU member but
fulfill the IAU requisites,
it is recommended that you apply for
IAU membership.
If you wish to become IAU member, please
contact your IAU national representatives
asap. The admission of
new members takes place in the General Assembly
and the previous
process needs quite some time. Therefore, if you are not already
IAU
member, you won't be able to take part in the poll indicated above,
but you
may later become member of the possible new commission,
if this is approved.
Artemio Herrero
chair, on behalf of
the MSWG-Organizing Committee
Weblink:
Email:
ahd@iac.es
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late 2016 - 2017
Venue:
New Zealand
Dear Massive Stars Working Group members,
Recently the Massive Stars Working Group Organizing Committee
evaluated the
different proposals for the next Massive Stars
Meeting and agreed to select the
proposal presented by John
Eldridge (University of Auckland).
The next Massive Stars
Meeting will thus be held in New Zealand, in a date
between late
2016 and december 2017 that will be decided later.
The
decision was very difficult, as seven different proposals were
presented.
The OC wishes to thank all proponents for their
interest and efforts (in view of the
difficult decision, the OC
had to ask for additional information that proponents
had to
prepare).
Participation in the discussions about the next
Massive Stars Meetings
constituted the last contribution of
Joachim Puls to the OC.
Joachim Puls has been OC member for six
years, chaired the committee in 2011-13
and was member-at-large
in 2014. The OC wants to thank him for his dedication
to the
massive stars community over all these years.
Artemio Herrero
chair, on behalf of the MSWG-Organizing Committee
Weblink:
Email: ahd@iac.es
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S. Hubrig (1), L. Fossati (2), T.A. Carroll (1), N. Castro
(2), J.F. Gonzalez (3), I. Ilyin (1),
N. Przybilla (4), M.
Schoeller (5), L.M. Oskinova (6), T. Morel (7), N. Langer (2), R.D.
Scholz (1),
N.V. Kharchenko (8), M.-F. Nieva (4,9), the BOB
collaboration
1 Leibniz-Institut fuer Astrophysik Potsdam
2 Universitaet Bonn
3 ICATE San Juan
4 University of
Innsbruck
5 ESO
6 Universitaet Potsdam
7 Universite de
Liege
8 Main Astronomical Observatory Kiev
9 University
Erlangen-Nuremberg
Recent magnetic field surveys in O- and
B-type stars revealed that about
10% of the core-hydrogen-burning
massive stars host large-scale magnetic fields.
The physical
origin of these fields is highly debated.
To identify and model
the physical processes responsible for the generation of magnetic
fields in massive
stars, it is important to establish whether
magnetic massive stars are found in very young star-forming regions
or whether they are formed in close interacting binary systems.
In
the framework of our ESO Large Program, we carried out low-resolution
spectropolarimetric observations with FORS2 in 2013 April of the
three most massive
central stars in the Trifid nebula, HD164492A,
HD164492C, and HD164492D. These observations indicated a strong
longitudinal magnetic field of about 500-600G in the poorly studied
component HD164492C. To confirm this detection,
we used HARPS in
spectropolarimetric mode on two consecutive nights in 2013 June.
Our HARPS observations confirmed the longitudinal magnetic
field in HD164492C.
Furthermore, the HARPS observations revealed
that HD164492C cannot be considered as a single star as it possesses
one or two companions. The
spectral appearance indicates that the
primary is most likely of spectral type B1-B1.5V.
Since in both
observing nights most spectral lines appear blended,
it is
currently unclear which components are magnetic.
Long-term
monitoring using high-resolution
spectropolarimetry is necessary
to separate the contribution of each component to the magnetic
signal.
Given the location of the system HD164492C in one of the
youngest star formation regions,
this system can be considered as
a Rosetta Stone for our understanding of the origin of magnetic
fields in massive stars.
Reference: A&A
Status:
Manuscript has been accepted
Weblink:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.0491
Email:
shubrig@aip.de
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Jiri Krticka
Masaryk University, Brno, Czech
Republic
We calculate radiatively driven wind models of
main-sequence B stars and provide the wind mass-loss rates and
terminal velocities. The main-sequence mass-loss rate strongly
depends on the stellar effective temperature. For the hottest B stars
the mass-loss rate amounts to 10^{-9} Mo/year, while for the cooler
ones themass-loss rate is lower by more than three orders of
magnitude. Main-sequence B stars with solar abundance and effective
temperatures lower than about 15 000 K (later than spectral type B5)
do not have any homogeneous line-driven wind. We predict the wind
mass-loss rates for the solar chemical composition and for the
modified abundance of heavier elements to study the winds of
chemically peculiar stars. The mass-loss rate may either increase or
decrease with increasing abundance, depending on the importance of
the induced emergent flux redistribution. Stars with overabundant
silicon may have homogeneous winds even below the solar abundance
wind limit at 15 000 K. The winds of main-sequence B stars lie below
the static limit, that is, a static atmosphere solution is also
possible. This points to an important problem regarding the
initiation of these winds. We discuss the implications of our models
for rotational braking, filling the magnetosphere of Bp stars, and
for chemically peculiar stars.
Reference:
Astronomy&Astrophysics, in press
Status: Manuscript has
been accepted
Weblink:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1401.5511
Email:
krticka@physics.muni.cz
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contents
J. D. Henshaw (1), P. Caselli (1), F. Fontani (2), I.
Jimenez-Serra (3), J. C. Tan (4)
1 - School of Physics and
Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; 2 -
INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, L.go E. Fermi 5, Firenze
I-50125, Italy 2; 3 - European Southern Observatory,
Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748, Garching, Germany; 4 - Department
of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611,
USA
Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are unique laboratories to
study the initial conditions of high-mass star and star cluster
formation. We present high-sensitivity and high-angular resolution
IRAM PdBI observations of N2H+ (1-0) towards IRDC G035.39-00.33. It
is found that G035.39-00.33 is a highly complex environment,
consisting of several mildly supersonic filaments (sigma_NT/c_s
~1.5), separated in velocity by <1 km s^-1 . Where multiple
spectral components are evident, moment analysis overestimates the
non-thermal contribution to the line-width by a factor ~2.
Large-scale velocity gradients evident in previous single-dish maps
may be explained by the presence of substructure now evident in the
interferometric maps. Whilst global velocity gradients are small
(<0.7 km s^-1 pc^-1), there is evidence for dynamic processes on
local scales (~1.5-2.5 km s^-1 pc^-1 ). Systematic trends in velocity
gradient are observed towards several continuum peaks. This suggests
that the kinematics are influenced by dense (and in some cases,
starless) cores. These trends are interpreted as either infalling
material, with accretion rates ~(7 pm 4)x10^-5 M_sun yr^-1 , or
expanding shells with momentum ~24 pm 12 M_sun km s^-1 . These
observations highlight the importance of high-sensitivity and
high-spectral resolution data in disentangling the complex kinematic
and physical structure of massive star forming regions.
Reference:
Accepted for publication in MNRAS
Status: Manuscript has been
accepted
Weblink: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1403.1444
Email:
phy5jh@leeds.ac.uk
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S. Hubrig (1), M. Schoeller (2), A.F. Kholtygin (3,4)
1
Leibniz-Institut fuer Astrophysik Potsdam
2 ESO
3
Saint-Petersburg State University
4 Isaac Newton Institute of
Chile, Saint-Petersburg Branch
Our recent search for the
presence of a magnetic field in the bright early
A-type
supergiant HD92207 using FORS2 in spectropolarimetric mode indicated
the
presence of a longitudinal magnetic field of the order of a
few hundred Gauss.
Assuming the ideal case of a non-variable
star, this discovery has recently been
questioned in one work
trying to demonstrate the importance of non-photon noise
in FORS2
observations. The assumption of non-variability of HD92207 can,
however, not be held since substantial profile variations of
diverse lines on a
time scale of minutes or maybe even a fraction
of a minute are detected in
FORS2 spectra. The presence of
short-term spectral variability in blue
supergiants, which are
considered as type II supernova progenitors, has not been
a
subject of systematic studies before and is critical for the current
theoretical understanding of their physics. Given the detected
short term
variability, the question of the presence of a
magnetic field cannot be answered
without proper modeling of the
impact of such a variability on the measurements
of the magnetic
field. Since the short-term periodicity does not fit into the
currently known domain of non-radially pulsating supergiants, its
confirmation
is of great importance for models of stellar
evolution.
Reference: MNRAS
Status: Manuscript has
been accepted
Weblink:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.2219
Email:
shubrig@aip.de
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Blagovest Petrov, Jorick S. Vink, Götz Gräfener
Armagh
Observatory, Armagh, Northern-Ireland, UK
The evolutionary
state of blue supergiants is still unknown. Stellar wind mass loss is
one of the dominant processes determining the evolution of massive
stars, and it may provide clues on the evolutionary properties of
blue supergiants. As the Hα line is the most oft-used mass-loss
tracer in the OB-star regime, we provide a detailed analysis of the
Hα line for OB supergiant models over an Teff range between 30000
and 12500K. We find a maximum in the Hα equivalent width at 22500 K
- at the location of the bi-stability jump. The Hα line behaviour is
characterised by two branches of Teff: (i) a "hot" branch
between 30000 and 22500 K, where Hα emission becomes stronger with
decreasing Teff, and (ii) a "cool" branch between 22500 and
12500 K, where the line becomes weaker. Our models show that this
non-monotonic Hα behaviour is related to the optical depth of Lyα,
finding that at the "cool" branch the population of the 2nd
level of hydrogen is enhanced in comparison to the 3rd level. This is
expected to increase line absorption, leading to weaker Hα flux when
Teff drops from 22500 K downwards. We also show that for late B
supergiants (at Teff below ~15000 K), the differences in the Hα line
between homogeneous and clumpy winds becomes insignificant. Moreover,
we show that at the bi-stability jump Hα changes its character
completely, from an optically thin to an optically thick line,
implying that macro-clumping should play an important role at
temperatures below the bi-stability jump. This would not only have
consequences for the character of observed Hα line profiles, but
also for the reported discrepancies between theoretical and empirical
mass-loss rates.
Reference: A&A, in press
Status:
Manuscript has been accepted
Weblink:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.4097
Email:
bvp@arm.ac.uk
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Claus Leitherer(1), Sylvia Ekstrom(2), Georges Meynet(2),
Daniel Schaerer(2), Katerina B. Agienko(3), Emily M.
Levesque(4)
(1)- STScI
(2)- Geneva Observatory
(3)-
Main Astron. Obs., Kiev
(4)- Univ. of Colorado
We present
a new set of synthesis models for stellar populations obtained with
Starburst99, which are based on new stellar evolutionary tracks with
rotation. We discuss models with zero rotation velocity and with
velocities of 40% of the break-up velocity on the zero-age
main-sequence. These values are expected to bracket realistic
rotation velocity distributions in stellar populations. The new
rotating models for massive stars are more luminous and hotter due to
a larger convective core and enhanced surface abundances. This
results in pronounced changes in the integrated spectral energy
distribution of a population containing massive stars. The changes
are most significant at the shortest wavelengths where an increase of
the ionizing luminosity by up to a factor of 5 is predicted. We also
show that high equivalent widths of recombination lines may not
necessarily indicate a very young age but can be achieved at ages as
late as 10 Myr. Comparison of these two boundary cases (0 and 40% of
the break-up velocity) will allow users to evaluate the effects of
rotation and provide guidance for calibrating the stellar evolution
models. We also introduce a new theoretical ultraviolet spectral
library built from the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) atmospheres. Its
purpose is to help identify signatures of Wolf-Rayet stars in the
ultraviolet whose strength is sensitive to the particulars of the
evolution models. The new models are available for solar and 1/7th
solar metallicities. A complete suite of models can be generated on
the Starburst99 website (www.stsci.edu/science/starburst99/). The
updated Starburst99 package can be retrieved from this website as
well.
Reference: The Astrophysical Journal Supplement
Series, in press (Vol. 212, May 2014)
Status: Manuscript has been
accepted
Weblink: http://arxiv.org/abs/1403.5444
Comments:
See also v7.0.0 of Starburst99 at
http://www.stsci.edu/science/starburst99/
Email:
leitherer@stsci.edu
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N. Mennekens, D. Vanbeveren
Astrophysical
Institute, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
With our galactic
evolutionary code that contains a detailed intermediate mass and
massive binary population model, we study the temporal evolution of
the galactic population of double neutron star binaries, mixed
systems with a neutron star and black hole component and double black
hole binaries. We compute the merger rates of these relativistic
binaries and we translate them into LIGO II detection rates. We
demonstrate that accounting for the uncertainties in the relation
'initial mass-final mass' predicted by massive close binary evolution
and due to the possible effect of large stellar wind mass loss during
the luminous blue variable phase of a star with initial mass larger
than 30-40 Mo and during the red supergiant phase of a star with
initial mass smaller than 30-40 Mo when such a star is a binary
component, the double black hole merger rate may be very small,
contrary to predictions made by other groups. Hydrodynamic
computations of r-process chemical yields ejected during the
relativistic binary merger process have recently become available.
With our galactic code that includes binaries it is then
straightforward to calculate the temporal galactic evolution of the
r-process elements ejected by these mergers. We conclude that except
for the earliest evolutionary phase of the Galaxy (~the first 100
Myr) double compact star mergers may be the major production sites of
r-process elements and it is probable that the mixed systems dominate
this production over double neutron star binary mergers.
Reference:
A&A, in press
Status: Manuscript has been
accepted
Weblink: arXiv:1307.0959v2
Comments:
12 pages, 7 figures
Email: dvbevere@vub.ac.be
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Asif ud-Doula (1), Stanley Owocki (2), Richard Townsend
(3), Veronique Petit (2), David Cohen (4)
(1)- Penn State
Worthington Scranton, Dunmore, PA 18512, USA.
(2)- Department of
Physics and Astronomy, Bartol Research Institute, University of
Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
(3)- Department of Astronomy,
University of Wisconsin-Madison, 5534 Sterling Hall, 475 N Charter
Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA
(4)- Department of Physics and
Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
We
use 2D MHD simulations to examine the effects of radiative cooling
and
inverse Compton (IC) cooling on X-ray emission from
magnetically confined wind
shocks (MCWS) in magnetic massive
stars with radiatively driven stellar winds.
For the standard
dependence of mass loss rate on luminosity $Mdot sim L^{1.7}
$,
the scaling of IC cooling with $L$ and radiative cooling with $Mdot$
means
that IC cooling become formally more important for lower
luminosity stars.
However, because the sense of the trends is
similar, we find the overall effect
of including IC cooling is
quite modest. More significantly, for stars with
high enough mass
loss to keep the shocks radiative, the MHD simulations
indicate a
linear scaling of X-ray luminosity with mass loss rate; but for
lower luminosity stars with weak winds, X-ray emission is reduced
and softened
by a {em shock retreat} resulting from the larger
post-shock cooling length,
which within the fixed length of a
closed magnetic loop forces the shock back
to lower pre-shock
wind speeds. A semi-analytic scaling analysis that accounts
both
for the wind magnetic confinement and this shock retreat yields X-ray
luminosities that have a similar scaling trend, but a factor few
higher values,
compared to time-averages computed from the MHD
simulations. The simulation and
scaling results here thus provide
a good basis for interpreting available X-ray
observations from
the growing list of massive stars with confirmed large-scale
magnetic fields.
Reference: MNRAS
Status:
Manuscript has been accepted
Weblink:
https://psu.box.com/s/r5c7phknvklro4naro7w
Comments:
Email: asif@psu.edu
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Miriam Garcia (1), Artemio Herrero (2,3), Francisco Najarro
(1), Daniel J. Lennon (4)
and Miguel A. Urbaneja (5,6)
(1)
CAB, INTA-CSIC; (2) IAC; (3) ULL; (4) ESA; (5) UIBK; (6) IfA
We
present the first quantitative UV spectroscopic analysis of resolved
OB stars in IC1613. Because of its alleged very low metallicity
(<~1/10 Zo, from HII regions), studies in this Local Group dwarf
galaxy could become a significant step forward from the SMC towards
the extremely metal-poor massive stars of the early Universe. We
present HST-COS data covering the ~1150-1800A wavelength range with
resolution R~2500. We find that the targets do exhibit wind features,
and these are similar in strength to SMC stars. Wind terminal
velocities were derived from the observed PCygni profiles with the
SEI method. The vinf-Z relationship has been revisited. The terminal
velocity of IC1613 O-stars is clearly lower than Milky Way
counterparts, but there is no clear difference between IC1613 and SMC
or LMC analogue stars. We find no clear segregation with host galaxy
in the terminal velocities of B-supergiants, nor in the vinf/vesc
ratio of the whole OB star sample in any of the studied galaxies.
Finally, we present first evidence that the Fe-abundance of IC1613 OB
stars is similar to the SMC, in agreement with previous results on
red supergiants. With the confirmed ~1/10 solar oxygen abundances of
B-supergiants, our results indicate that IC1613's [alpha/Fe]
ratio is sub-solar.
Reference: ApJ
Status:
Manuscript has been accepted
Weblink:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1404.5305
Email:
mgg@cab.inta-csic.es
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Philip Massey (1), Kathryn F.
Neugent (1), Nidia Morrell (2), D. John Hillier (3)
(1)
Lowell Observatory, (2) Las Campanas Observatory, (3) Department of
Physics and Astronomy & Pittsburgh Particle Physics,
Astrophysics, and Cosmology Center, University of Pittsburgh
Over
the years, directed surveys and incidental spectroscopy have
identified 12 Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in the SMC and 139 in the LMC,
numbers which are often described as "essentially complete."
Yet, new WRs are discovered in the LMC almost yearly. We have
therefore initiated a new survey of both Magellanic Clouds using the
same interference-filter imaging technique previously applied to M31
and M33. We report on our first observing season, in which we have
successfully surveyed ~15% of our intended area of the SMC and LMC.
Spectroscopy has confirmed 9 newly found WRs in the LMC (a 6%
increase), including one of WO-type, only the third known in that
galaxy and the second to be discovered recently. The other eight are
WN3 stars that include an absorption component. In two, the
absorption is likely from an O type companion, but the other six are
quite unusual. Five would be classified naively as "WN3+O3 V,"
but such a pairing is unlikely given the rarity of O3 stars, the
short duration of this phase (which is incommensurate with the
evolution of a companion to a WN star), and because these stars are
considerably fainter than O3 V stars. The sixth star may also fall
into this category. CMFGEN modeling suggests these stars are hot,
bolometrically luminous, and N-rich like other WN3 stars, but lack
the strong winds that characterize WNs. Finally, we discuss two rare
Of?p stars and four Of supergiants we found, and propose that the
B[e] star HD 38489 may have a WN companion.
Reference: ApJ,
in press
Status: Manuscript has been accepted
Weblink:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1404.7441
Comments:
Email: phil.massey@lowell.edu
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In this section we list job offers received after the latest previous issue of the newsletter but which are already past the application deadline. If you wish to be alerted immediately of job offers and other annoucements, you are invited to subscribe to the daily notifications by going to this link http://www.astroscu.unam.mx/massive_stars/submission/subscription.php
Prof. J. D'Hondt, Head of the Dept. of Physics, or Prof. D.
Vanbeveren
Dept. of Physics
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Research Group
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Pleinlaan 2
1050
Brussels
Belgium
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in
Belgium has an opening for a full time faculty position at the
department of physics. The position is aimed at an excellent
candidate to take a leading role in the coordination and further
development of the research in the astrophysics group. The successful
candidate is expected to initiate new projects and acquire the
necessary research funding. In addition to this, the ability to teach
physics and astrophysics courses at all university levels is
required.
Currently the astrophysical research at the VUB
revolves around themes related to stellar evolution, binary systems,
galaxy kinematics and radio galaxies.
Applications from
outstanding candidates working in astrophysics will be considered.
Priority will be given to outstanding candidates who have the
potential to extend our research in the direction of High-Energy
Astrophysics to not only complement the current efforts, but also to
strengthen the synergy with our activities in experimental
astroparticle physics and explore opportunities for new joint
research projects.
The astroparticle physics programme is one
of the VUB research lines within the “High-Energy Physics”
Strategic Research Programme. Currently it consists of research
related to Dark Matter searches as well as studies of Gammy Ray
Bursts and Active Galactic Nuclei with the IceCube neutrino
observatory at the South Pole.
Profile
* Academic
qualification: PhD degree.
* The candidate is expected to endorse
the educational vision of the university (full text available on the
university website).
* Female candidates are particularly
encouraged to apply
* Every first appointment is dependent upon
the successful performance of a teaching session.
* Near-native
proficiency of English is required. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel
provides courses in academic English.
* The administrative and
educational language at Vrije Universiteit Brussel is Dutch. If, at
your appointment, you do not speak Dutch at all or do not speak it
well, we will provide a training offer that must equip you to be able
to teach in Dutch within three years. If your teaching assignment is
completely in English, then it is expected that you have mastered the
Dutch language to a level that will allow you to participate in the
administrative meetings.
Offer
As an employee of the
Vrije Universiteit Brussel your days will be spent in a dynamic,
diverse and multilingual environment. Both our campuses are set
within green oases on the outskirts of the center of the capital of
Flanders, Belgium and Europe. This center, with all its
opportunities, is within your reach by public transport in under half
an hour.
Depending on your experience and academic merits you
will receive a salary on one of the pay scales laid down by the
government. Hospitalization cover and free use of public transport
for travel to and from work are standard conditions of employment. If
you would rather cycle to work, compensation is also available for
that. Both campuses have extensive sporting facilities which are at
your disposal and a nursery is within walking distance.
Recruitment
in one of the academic ranks of Senior Academic Staff (senior
faculty).
Recruitment in the rank of lecturer is a tenure
track appointment which implies an initial appointment as lecturer
for a period of 5 years with eligibility for tenure in the rank of
senior lecturer by the end of this initial period.
Recruitment
in other academic ranks is an initial appointment for 3 years with
eligibility for tenure in the same rank by the end of this initial
period.
More information is available at www.vub.ac.be under
the heading ‘future employees’.
* Planned starting date:
01/09/2014
* Length of contract: Recruitment in the rank of
lecturer is a tenure track appointment which implies an initial
appointment as lecturer for a period of 5 years with eligibility for
tenure in the rank of senior lecturer by the end of this initial
period.
* Recruitment in other academic ranks is an initial
appointment for 3 years with eligibility for tenure in the same rank
by the end of this initial period.
* Deadline for application:
16/04/2014
For more information and how to apply:
http://vub.talentfinder.be/en/vacature/10857/we-2014-001--senior-academic-staff--100--physics-astrophysics/
Weblink:
http://vub.talentfinder.be/en/vacature/10857/we-2014-001--senior-academic-staff--100--physics-astrophysics/
Email:
dvbevere@vub.ac.be
Deadline: 16/04/2014
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