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On the nature of massive helium star winds and Wolf-Rayet-type mass loss
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Submitted 3 Sep 2020
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim Based on our findings, we derive the first ever theoretically-motivated mass-loss recipe for massive helium stars.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
The mass-loss rates of massive helium stars are one of the major uncertainties in modern astrophysics. Regardless of whether they were stripped by a binary companion or managed to peel off their outer layers by themselves, the influence and final fate of helium stars -- in particular the resulting black hole mass -- highly depends on their wind mass loss as stripped-envelope objects. While empirical mass-loss constraints for massive helium stars have improved over the last decades, the resulting recipes are limited to metallicities with the observational ability to sufficiently resolve individual stars. Yet, theoretical efforts have been hampered by the complexity of Wolf-Rayet (WR) winds arising from the more massive helium stars. In an unprecedented effort, we calculate next-generation stellar atmosphere models resembling massive helium main sequence stars with Fe-bump driven winds up to $500\,M_\odot$ over a wide metallicity range between $2.0$ and $0.02\,Z_\odot$. We uncover a complex $\Gamma_\text{e}$-dependency of WR-type winds and their metallicity-dependent breakdown. The latter can be related to the onset of multiple scattering, requiring higher $L/M$-ratios at lower metallicity. Based on our findings, we derive the first ever theoretically-motivated mass-loss recipe for massive helium stars. We also provide estimates for LyC and He II ionizing fluxes, finding stripped helium stars to contribute considerably at low metallicity. In sharp contrast to OB-star winds, the mass loss for helium stars scales with the terminal velocity. While limited to the helium main sequence, our study marks a major step towards a better theoretical understanding of helium star evolution.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | The mass-loss rates of massive helium stars are one of the major uncertainties in modern astrophysics. | background 0.89 | 0.04 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s1 | Regardless of whether they were stripped by a binary companion or managed to peel off their outer layers by themselves, the influence and final fate of helium stars -- in particular the resulting black hole mass -- highly depends on their wind mass loss as stripped-envelope objects. | background 0.99 | 0.05 | 0.06 | asserted 0.98 |
| s2 | While empirical mass-loss constraints for massive helium stars have improved over the last decades, the resulting recipes are limited to metallicities with the observational ability to sufficiently resolve individual stars. | gap 0.77 | 0.05 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s3 | Yet, theoretical efforts have been hampered by the complexity of Wolf-Rayet (WR) winds arising from the more massive helium stars. | gap 0.53 | 0.05 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s4 | In an unprecedented effort, we calculate next-generation stellar atmosphere models resembling massive helium main sequence stars with Fe-bump driven winds up to $500\,M_\odot$ over a wide metallicity range between $2.0$ and $0.02\,Z_\odot$. | method 0.56 | 0.97 | 0.06 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | We uncover a complex $\Gamma_\text{e}$-dependency of WR-type winds and their metallicity-dependent breakdown. | result 1.00 | 0.96 | 0.30 | asserted 1.00 |
| s6 | The latter can be related to the onset of multiple scattering, requiring higher $L/M$-ratios at lower metallicity. | interpretation 0.94 | 0.77 | 0.08 | asserted 0.77 |
| s7 | Based on our findings, we derive the first ever theoretically-motivated mass-loss recipe for massive helium stars. | contribution 0.69 | 0.97 | 0.60 | asserted 1.00 |
| s8 | We also provide estimates for LyC and He II ionizing fluxes, finding stripped helium stars to contribute considerably at low metallicity. | result 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.07 | asserted 0.99 |
| s9 | In sharp contrast to OB-star winds, the mass loss for helium stars scales with the terminal velocity. | result 0.98 | 0.77 | 0.10 | asserted 1.00 |
| s10 | While limited to the helium main sequence, our study marks a major step towards a better theoretical understanding of helium star evolution. | limitation 0.85 | 0.67 | 0.10 | asserted 0.94 |
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The paper
Original abstract
The mass-loss rates of massive helium stars are one of the major uncertainties in modern astrophysics. Regardless of whether they were stripped by a binary companion or managed to peel off their outer layers by themselves, the influence and final fate of helium stars -- in particular the resulting black hole mass -- highly depends on their wind mass loss as stripped-envelope objects. While empirical mass-loss constraints for massive helium stars have improved over the last decades, the resulting recipes are limited to metallicities with the observational ability to sufficiently resolve individual stars. Yet, theoretical efforts have been hampered by the complexity of Wolf-Rayet (WR) winds arising from the more massive helium stars. In an unprecedented effort, we calculate next-generation stellar atmosphere models resembling massive helium main sequence stars with Fe-bump driven winds up to $500\,M_\odot$ over a wide metallicity range between $2.0$ and $0.02\,Z_\odot$. We uncover a complex $\Gamma_\text{e}$-dependency of WR-type winds and their metallicity-dependent breakdown. The latter can be related to the onset of multiple scattering, requiring higher $L/M$-ratios at lower metallicity. Based on our findings, we derive the first ever theoretically-motivated mass-loss recipe for massive helium stars. We also provide estimates for LyC and He II ionizing fluxes, finding stripped helium stars to contribute considerably at low metallicity. In sharp contrast to OB-star winds, the mass loss for helium stars scales with the terminal velocity. While limited to the helium main sequence, our study marks a major step towards a better theoretical understanding of helium star evolution.
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References
How later papers used it
57 later papers cite it
4 later papers by other authors are listed below: 3 used its method or tool and 1 compared its own results with it. 4 more papers by the same authors are listed: 4 used its method or tool.
Uses its method or tool 7 of 12 papers with this label · 4 by the same authors
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In the present study we use the new theoretical WR wind prescription presented by [ref] , in which the mass-loss rate depends on the stellar mass as well as the luminosity, in contrast to empirical recipes which depend only on luminosity.
The landscape of binary core-collapse supernova progenitors and the late emergence of Wolf-Rayet winds (2025) · Impact of stellar winds · 1.00
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Used the same wind prescription as this paper and another work, but at zero metallicity.
Population III X-ray Binaries and their Impact on the Early Universe (2023) · 0.91 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Calculated mass loss rates for helium stars and helium giants according to this paper.
Importance of stable mass transfer and stellar winds for the formation of gravitational wave sources (2022) · 1.00 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
By the same authors
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In this study we have presented two grids of stellar evolution models which incorporate the mass-loss description from [ref] based on dynamically-consistent atmosphere calculations of massive helium star winds.
Evolution of Wolf-Rayet stars as black hole progenitors (2021) (same authors) · Conclusions · 0.99
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In this work, we provide stellar wind yields for cWR stripped Helium stars with initial masses of 12-50, implementing a large nuclear reaction network and hydrodynamically-consistent cWR winds from [ref] .
New Wolf-Rayet wind yields and nucleosynthesis of Helium stars (2024) (same authors) · Conclusions · 1.00
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Once the surface effective temperature crosses $100,000$ K, we switch to the WR recipe from [ref] .
Very Massive Stars and Pair-Instability Supernovae: Mass-loss Framework for low Metallicity (2023) (same authors) · HRD evolution · 1.00
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Lastly, for stripped helium or Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars, we apply the prescription from [ref] for low-luminosity stripped stars [ref] , and [ref] [ref] for high-luminosity WR-like stars.
Not just winds: why models find binary black hole formation is metallicity dependent, while binary neutron star formation is not (2024) (same authors) · A fixed grid of DCO progenitors · 0.99
Compares with it 1 of 5 papers with this label
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To compare, we also display the predictions from [ref] , [ref] , [ref] , and [ref] .
Stellar properties of observed stars stripped in binaries in the Magellanic Clouds (2023) · Constraints on stellar wind mass-loss · 1.00
How the literature uses it
3 arXiv papers cite this in 9 sentences
Papers citing it · 7 sentences without a confident label
Uses its method or tool 1 paper
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This combination consisted of the [ref] , [ref] , and [ref] prescriptions for hot stars and the [ref] , [ref] , and [ref] prescriptions for cool stars.
Binary evolution at the extremes of mass-transfer efficiency: Contact, mergers, and population signatures · Adopted stellar and binary physics · 1.00
Compares with it 1 paper
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On the other hand, [ref] also find a correlation between $Ṁ$ and $v_∞$, which we do not necessarily observe in our models.
Dynamically inflated wind models of classical Wolf-Rayet stars · Comparison to co-moving frame models · 0.97
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