Beam me up, Spotty: Toward a new understanding of the physics of massive star photospheres [SSA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1408.0029


For 30 years, cyclical wind variability in OB stars has puzzled the astronomical community. Phenomenological models involving co-rotating bright spots provide a potential explanation for the observed variations, but the underlying physics remains unknown. We present recent results from hydrodynamical simulations constraining bright spot properties and compare them to what can be inferred from space-based photometry. We also explore the possibility that these spots are caused by magnetic fields and discuss the detectability of such fields.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. David-Uraz, G. Wade and S. Owocki
Mon, 4 Aug 14
15/40

Comments: 2 pages, 1 figure, IAU Symposium 307