γ Columbae as a recently stripped pulsating core of a massive star

Irrgang A, Przybilla N, Meynet G (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Abstract

Stellar cores, that is, the central regions where densities and temperatures are high enough for nuclear fusion processes to take place, are usually covered by an opaque envelope. Only in very rare cases, stars may expose their cores, for example, when a tiny fraction of them evolve into Wolf–Rayet or helium hot subdwarf stars. However, for the vast majority of stars, namely unevolved stars that burn hydrogen into helium in their centres, direct observational clues on the cores are still missing. On the basis of a spectroscopic and photometric analyses, here we show that the bright B-type-star γ Columbae is the stripped pulsating core (with a mass of 4–5 M⊙, where M⊙ is the mass of the Sun) of a previously much more massive star of roughly 12 M⊙ that just finished central hydrogen fusion. The discovery of this star, which is still in a short-lived post-stripping structural re-adjustment phase, paves the way to obtain invaluable insights into the physics of both single and binary stars with respect to nuclear astrophysics and common-envelope evolution. In particular, it provides observational constraints on the structure and evolution of stripped-envelope stars.

Authors with CRIS profile

Andreas Irrgang Dr.Karl-Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg, Astronomisches Institut

Involved external institutions

Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck / University of Innsbruck

Austria (AT) University of Geneva / Université de Genève (UNIGE)

Switzerland (CH)

How to cite

APA:

Irrgang, A., Przybilla, N., & Meynet, G. (2022). γ Columbae as a recently stripped pulsating core of a massive star. Nature Astronomy. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01809-6

MLA:

Irrgang, Andreas, Norbert Przybilla, and Georges Meynet. "γ Columbae as a recently stripped pulsating core of a massive star." Nature Astronomy (2022).

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