Uncovering unknown mass-loss mechanisms of dying massive stars through supernovae

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13585
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 16010:Astronomy-related
• Research Institution: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
• Principal Investigator: Moriya Takashi 国立天文台, 科学研究部, 助教 (90779547)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 超新星爆発 / 大質量星 / 質量放出

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The central region of dying massive stars shortly before explosion is very active, but it has been long believed that nothing happens at the surface that is very far from the center. However, in this study, we revealed that massive red supergiants shortly before explosion generally experience mass-loss enhancement at their surface. This means that the evolution at the center of massive stars shortly before explosion is somehow inducing the mass loss at the surface. We show that the enhanced mass loss shortly before explosions occurs roughly spherically and the mass-loss enhancement is likely related to central activities such as strong convective motions occurring at the center of collapsing massive stars.

Free Research Field

天体物理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

大質量星の進化と大質量星の起こす超新星爆発は宇宙の進化を理解する上で最も基本的な要素である。これまで大質量星の進化はほぼ理解されてきたと思われていたが、本研究により爆発直前に大質量星がこれまで知られていなかった大規模な質量放出現象を一般的に行っていることが明らかになった。これまで切り離されて考えられていた大質量星爆発直前の中心部と表面の進化が相互に関係していることが明らかになり、天文学に新しい視点をもたらした。