Bibcode
Repolust, T.; Puls, J.; Herrero, A.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.415, p.349-376 (2004)
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2004
Journal
Citations
345
Refereed citations
281
Description
We have re-analyzed the Galactic O-star sample from citet{puls96} by
means of line-blanketed NLTE model atmospheres in order to investigate
the influence of line-blocking/blanketing on the derived parameters. The
analysis has been carried out by fitting the photospheric and wind lines
from H and He. In most cases we obtained a good fit, but we have also
found certain inconsistencies which are probably related to a still
inadequate treatment of the wind structure. These inconsistencies
comprise the line cores of Hγ and Hβ in
supergiants (the synthetic profiles are too weak when the mass-loss rate
is determined by matching Hα) and the ``generalized
dilution effect'' (cf. citealt{vo89}) which is still present in He I
4471 of cooler supergiants and giants.
Compared to pure H/He plane-parallel models we found a decrease in
effective temperatures which is largest at earliest spectral types and
for supergiants (with a maximum shift of roughly 8000 K). This finding
is explained by the fact that line-blanketed models of hot stars have
photospheric He ionization fractions similar to those from unblanketed
models at higher Teff and higher log g. Consequently, any
line-blanketed analysis based on the He ionization equilibrium results
in lower Teff-values along with a reduction of either log g
or helium abundance (if the reduction of log g is prohibited by the
Balmer line wings). Stellar radii and mass-loss rates, on the other
hand, remain more or less unaffected by line-blanketing.
We have calculated ``new'' spectroscopic masses and compared them with
previous results. Although the former mass discrepancy citep{h92}
becomes significantly reduced, a systematic trend for masses below 50
Msun seems to remain: The spectroscopically derived values
are smaller than the ``evolutionary masses'' by roughly 10
Msun. Additionally, a significant fraction of our sample
stars stays over-abundant in He, although the actual values were found
to be lower than previously determined.
Also the wind-momentum luminosity relation (WLR) changes because of
lower luminosities and almost unmodified wind-momentum rates. Compared
to previous results, the separation of the WLR as a function of
luminosity class is still present but now the WLR for giants/dwarfs is
consistent with theoretical predictions.
We argue that the derived mass-loss rates of stars with
Hα in emission are affected by clumping in the lower
wind region. If the predictions from different and independent
theoretical simulations (citealt {Vink00, Paul03, puls03a}) that the
WLR should be independent of luminosity class were correct, a typical
clumping factor <ρ2>/<ρ>2 ≈
5 should be derived by ``unifying'' the different WLRs.
Based upon observations obtained at the INT and the European Southern
Observatory, La Silla, Chile. The INT is operated on the island of La
Palma by the ING in the Spanish Observatorio de El Roque de los
Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.
Appendix A in only available in electronic form at
http://www.edpsciences.org