The Winds of Wolf-Rayet Stars: Their strength and Structure

如果没有大质量恒星，宇宙将会大不相同。事实上，它们构成了恒星和星系中的星际介质之间交换物质的主要手段，尤其是化学丰富的物质。大多数比碳更重的元素都是在其核心内制造的，它们通过超新星爆炸以一种壮观的方式注入到周围的介质中。但在它们短暂的生命过程中，大质量恒星也会以强烈的恒星风的形式，不断地向星际介质注入物质、能量和动量。我的研究不仅是确定大质量恒星损失了多少质量，而且还确定了它是如何损失的；风的结构是什么。我研究的最多的恒星被命名为Wolf-Rayet(WR)恒星，以纪念19世纪末发现它们的两位科学家。这些恒星一般都是大质量恒星，已经达到了在其核心燃烧氦的阶段。

The Universe would be very different without massive stars. Indeed, they constitute the principal means by which material, and more particularly chemically enriched material, is exchanged between stars and the interstellar medium in galaxies. Most elements heavier than Carbon are fabricated within their core and they are injected into their surrounding medium in a spectacular way via supernova explosions. But throughout their short lives, massive stars also steadily inject matter, energy and momentum into the interstellar medium of galaxies in the form of a strong stellar wind. My research is about determining not only how much mass is lost by massive stars but also how it is lost; what is the structure of the wind. The stars I work on the most are named Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in honor of the two scientists that discovered them at the end of the 19th century. These are generally massive stars that have reached the stage of burning Helium in their core.