The fate of massive single stars: exploring the impact of rotation and metallicity

Chambers, Caitlan Sarah

Abstract

The fate of massive stars depends largely on the mass and structure of their inner cores, and the composition of their envelopes at death. This is dependent on the mass loss history of the star, which has significant effects on the evolution of massive stars, how they die, and the remnants which they leave behind. In this work, the remnant and supernova type of massive stars are mapped as a function of initial mass and metallicity, aiming to determine where neutron stars and black holes are likely to form, and where the different types of supernovae are produced. These results are combined with various formulations of the initial mass function, aiming to find the fraction of massive stars forming each remnant type and producing each type of supernova, at each metallicity considered. This relies on the data from complete grids of stellar evolution models across a large range in initial mass and metallicity, which have been computed using GENEC over the past decade. Consistent input physics allows for interpolation of their properties across an evenly spaced grid of initial masses, so that the impact of changing metallicity and rotation can be examined on a macroscopic scale. A significant proportion of massive stars are found to end their lives as neutron stars, exploding as Type IIP supernovae. Despite this, the fate of massive stars is highly variable across metallicity, in particular with relation to pair-instability supernovae, which leave behind no remnant. The location of the pair-instability mass gap is also considered, with reference to recent gravitational wave detections. Considering the fate of massive single stars has far-reaching consequences across many different fields within astrophysics, and understanding the impact of rotation and metallicity will contribute to an improved understanding of how massive stars end their lives and their impact on the universe.

Citation

Chambers, C. S. The fate of massive single stars: exploring the impact of rotation and metallicity. (Thesis). Keele University. Retrieved from https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1018847

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Dec 16, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 19, 2024
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1018847
• Award Date: 2024-12