11 pages, 4 figures, review to appear in the Triennial edition of the Philosophical Transations of the Royal Society A. Content changed to correct history of LBV-like progenitors
The study of the stars that explode as supernovae used to be a forensic study, working backwards from the remnants of the star. This changed in 1987 when the first progenitor star was identified in pre-explosion images. Currently there are 8 detected progenitors with another 21 non-detections, for which only a limit on the pre-explosion luminosity can be placed. This new avenue of supernova research has led to many interesting conclusions, most importantly that the progenitors of the most common supernovae, type IIP, are red supergiants as theory has long predicted. However no progenitors have been detected thus far for the hydrogen-free type Ib/c supernovae which, given the expected progenitors, is an unlikely result. Also observations have begun to show evidence that luminous blue variables, which are among the most massive stars, may directly explode as supernovae. These results contradict current stellar evolution theory. This suggests that we may need to update our understanding.
It is proposed that gamma-ray bursts are created in the mergers of double neutron star binaries and black hole neutron star binaries at cosmological distances. Bursts with complex profiles and relatively long durations are the result of magnetic flares generated by the Parker instability in a post-merger differentially-rotating disk. Some bursts may also be produced through neutrino-antineutrino annihilation into electrons and positrons. In both cases, an optically thick fireball of size $\sles\ 100$ km is initially created, which expands ultrarelativistically to large radii before radiating. …
(abridged) We report our discovery and observations of the peculiar Type IIn supernova SN2006gy in NGC1260, revealing that it reached a peak magnitude of -22, making it the most luminous supernova ever recorded. It is not yet clear what powers the total radiated energy of 1e51 erg, but we argue that any mechanism -- thermal emission, circumstellar interaction, or 56Ni decay -- requires a very massive progenitor star. The circumstellar interaction hypothesis would require truly exceptional conditions around the star probably experienced an LBV eruption like the 19th century eruption of eta Cari…
We report the first result of a supernova search program designed to measure the evolution of the supernova rate with redshift. To make the comparison with local rates more significant we copied, as much as possible, the same computation recepies as for the measurements of local rates. Moreover, we exploited the multicolor images and the photometric redshift technique to characterize the galaxy sample and accurately estimate the detection efficiency. Combining our data with the recently published meaurements of the SN Ia rate at different redshifts, we derived the first, direct measurement of …
We study the evolution of dark matter satellites orbiting inside more massive haloes using semi-analytical tools coupled with high-resolution N-Body simulations. We select initial satellite sizes, masses, orbital energies, and eccentricities as predicted by hierarchical models of structure formation. Both the satellite and the main halo are described by a Navarro, Frenk & White density profile with various concentrations.
How massive stars die -- what sort of explosion and remnant each produces -- depends chiefly on the masses of their helium cores and hydrogen envelopes at death. For single stars, stellar winds are the only means of mass loss, and these are chiefly a function of the metallicity of the star. We discuss how metallicity, and a simplified prescription for its effect on mass loss, affects the evolution and final fate of massive stars. We map, as a function of mass and metallicity, where black holes and neutron stars are likely to form and where different types of supernovae are produced. Integratin…
We discuss the structural change and degree of mass segregation of young dense star clusters within about 100pc of the Galactic center. In our calculations, which are performed with GRAPE-6, the equations of motion of all stars and binaries are calculated accurately but the external potential of the Galaxy is solved (semi)analytically. The simulations are preformed to model the Arches star cluster. We find that star clusters with are less strongly perturbed by the tidal field and dynamical friction are much stronger affected by mass segregation; resulting in a significant pile-up of massive st…
We present the results of a 10.5 yr, volume limited (28 Mpc) search for supernova (SN) progenitor stars. We compile all SNe discovered within this volume (132, of which 27% are type Ia) and determine the relative rates of each sub-type from literature studies : II-P (59%), Ib/c (29%), IIb (5%), IIn (4%) and II-L (3%). Twenty II-P SNe have high quality optical or near-IR pre-explosion images that allow a meaningful search for the progenitor stars. In five cases they are clearly red supergiants, one case is unconstrained, two fall on compact coeval star clusters and the other twelve have no prog…
We revisit the association of unidentified Galactic plane EGRET sources with tracers of recent massive star formation and death. Up-to-date catalogs of OB associations, SNRs, young pulsars, HII regions and young open clusters were used in finding counterparts for a recent list of EGRET sources. It has been argued for some time that EGRET source positions are correlated with SNRs and OB associations as a class; we extend such analyses by finding additional counterparts and assessing the probability of individual source identifications. Among the several scenarios relating EGRET sources to massi…
Long-duration gamma-ray bursts are the manifestations of massive stellar death. Due to the immense energy release they are detectable from most of the observable universe. In this way they allow us to study the deaths of single (or binary) massive stars possibly throughout the full timespan massive stars have existed in the Universe. GRBs provide a means to infer information about the environments and typical galaxies in which massive stars are formed. Two main obstacles remain to be crossed before the full potential of GRBs as probes of massive stars can be harvested: i) we need to build more…
We study the evolution and observability of young, compact star clusters near the Galactic center, such as the Arches and Quintuplet systems. The clusters are modeled by integrating the equations of motion of all stars while accounting for the internal evolution of stars and binaries, as well as the effect of the Galactic tidal field. We find that clusters within 150 pc of the Galactic center dissolve within ~55 Myr, but their projected densities drop below the background density in the direction of the Galactic center within only a few Myr, effectively making these clusters undetectable after…
Core-Collapse supernovae arise from stars greater than 8 $\msun$. These stars lose a considerable amount of mass during their lifetime, which accumulates around the star forming wind-blown bubbles. Upon the death of the star in a spectacular explosion, the resulting SN shock wave will interact with this modified medium. We study the evolution of the shock wave, and investigate the properties of this interaction. We concentrate on the evolution of the SN shock wave in the medium around a 35 solar mass star. We discuss the hydrodynamics of the resulting interaction, the formation and growth of i…
I review the prospects for studies of the advanced evolutionary stages of low-, intermediate- and high-mass stars by the JWST and concurrent facilities, with particular emphasis on how they may help elucidate the dominant contributors to the interstellar dust component of galaxies. Observations extending from the mid-infrared to the submillimeter can help quantify the heavy element and dust species inputs to galaxies from AGB stars. JWST's MIRI mid-infrared instrument will be so sensitive that observations of the dust emission from individual intergalactic AGB stars and planetary nebulae in th…
The amount of mass loss is of fundamental importance to the lives and deaths of very massive stars, the input of chemical elements and momentum into the interstellar and intergalactic media, as well as the emitted ionizing radiation. I review mass-loss predictions for hot massive stars as a function of metal content for groups of OB stars, Luminous Blue Variables, and Wolf-Rayet stars. Although it is found that the predicted mass-loss rates drop steeply with decreasing metal content (Mdot ~ Z^{0.7-0.85}), I highlight two pieces of physics that are often overlooked: (i) mass-loss predictions fo…
Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are the brightest electromagnetic explosions in the Universe, associated to the death of massive stars. As such, GRBs are potential tracers of the evolution of the cosmic massive star formation, metallicity, and Initial Mass Function. GRBs also proved to be appealing cosmological distance indicators. This opens a unique opportunity to constrain the cosmic expansion history up to redshifts 5-6. A brief review on both subjects is presented here.
Mergers of double neutron stars are considered the most likely progenitors for short gamma-ray bursts. Indeed such a merger can produce a black hole with a transient accreting torus of nuclear matter (Lee & Ramirez-Ruiz 2007, Oechslin & Janka 2006), and the conversion of a fraction of the torus mass-energy to radiation can power a gamma-ray burst (Nakar 2006). Using available binary pulsar observations supported by our extensive evolutionary calculations of double neutron star formation, we demonstrate that the fraction of mergers that can form a black hole -- torus system depends very sensiti…
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is providing fascinating new views of massive star-forming regions, revealing all stages in the life cycles of massive stars and their effects on their surroundings. I present a Chandra tour of some of the most famous of these regions: M17, NGC 3576, W3, Tr14 in Carina, and 30 Doradus. Chandra highlights the physical processes that characterize the lives of these clusters, from the ionizing sources of ultracompact HII regions (W3) to superbubbles so large that they shape our views of galaxies (30 Dor). X-ray observations usually reveal hundreds of pre-main sequenc…
Winds from massive stars (> 8 solar masses) result in the formation of wind-blown "bubbles" around these stars. In this paper we study, via two-dimensional numerical hydrodynamic simulations, the onset and growth of turbulence during the formation and evolution of these wind-blown "bubbles". Our simulations reveal the formation of vortex rolls during the Main-Sequence stage of the evolution, and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities in the subsequent stages due to accelerating and/or decelerating wind-blown shells. The bubble shows a very turbulent interior just prior to the death of the star, with a …
Despite the growing evidence that long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are associated with deaths of Wolf-Rayet stars, the evolutionary path of massive stars to GRBs and the exact nature of GRB progenitors remained poorly known. However, recent massive star evolutionary models indicate that -- for sufficiently low metallicity -- initially very rapidly rotating stars can satisfy the conditions for collapsar formation. Even though magnetic torques are included in these models, a strong core spin-down is avoided through quasi-chemically homogeneous evolution induced by rotational mixing. Here, we explore…
Supernovae descendent from massive stars explode in media that have been modified by their progenitors' mass loss and UV radiation. The supernova ejecta will first interact with the circumstellar material shed by the progenitors at late evolutionary stages, and then interact with the interstellar material. Circumstellar nebulae in supernova remnants can be diagnosed by their small expansion velocities and high [N II]/H$α$ ratios. The presence of circumstellar nebulae appears ubiquitous among known young supernova remnants. These nebulae can be compared to those around evolved massive stars to …
The progenitors of SN 2008S and the 2008 transient in NGC300 were dust-enshrouded, with extremely red mid-infrared (MIR) colors and relatively low luminosities. The transients were optically faint (-13 < M_V < -15) compared to normal core-collapse supernovae (SNe), and their spectra exhibited narrow emission lines. These events are unique among transient-progenitor pairs and hence constitute a new class. Whether they are true SNe or bright massive-star eruptions, we argue that their rate is ~20% of the SN rate. This fact is remarkable in light of the observation that a very small fraction of a…
The birth and death of the first generation of stars have important implications for the thermal state and chemical properties of the intergalactic medium (IGM) in the early universe. Sometime after recombination, the neutral, chemically pristine gas was reionized by ultraviolet photons emitted from the first stars, but also enriched with heavy elements when these stars ended their lives as energetic supernovae. Using the results from previous high-resolution cosmological simulations of early structure formation that include radiative transfer, we show that a significant volume fraction of the…
Those massive stars that, during their deaths, give rise to gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) must be endowed with an unusually large amount of angular momentum in their inner regions, one to two orders of magnitude greater than the ones that make common pulsars. Yet the inclusion of mass loss and angular momentum transport by magnetic torques during the precollapse evolution is known to sap the core of the necessary rotation. Here we explore the evolution of very rapidly rotating, massive stars, including stripped down helium cores that might result from mergers or mass transfer in a binary, and single…
Gamma-ray Bursts are the most powerful objects in the Universe. Discovered in the 1960's as brief flashes of gamma-radiation, we now know they emit across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, are located in distant galaxies and comprise two distinct populations, one of which may originate in the deaths of massive stars. The launch of the Swift satellite in 2004 has brought a flurry of new discoveries, advancing our understanding of these sources and the galaxies that host them. We highlight a number of important results from the Swift era thus far.
The death of massive stars produces a variety of supernovae, which are linked to the structure of the exploding stars. The detection of several precursor stars of Type II supernovae have been reported, however we do not yet have direct information on the progenitors of the hydrogen deficient Type Ib and Ic supernovae. Here we report that the peculiar Type Ib supernova SN2006jc is spatially coincident with a bright optical transient that occurred in 2004. Spectroscopic and photometric monitoring of the supernova leads us to suggest that the progenitor was a carbon-oxygen Wolf-Rayet star embedde…
GRBs are the most energetic events in the Universe, associated with the death of massive stars (core-collapse supernovae) or the merging of neutron stars or black holes. Discovered in the early 1970s, their cosmological origin was demonstrated only in 1997, when the first distance was measured. Theoretical models predict that the very energetic processes at work in GRBs accelerate charged particles to such energies that they could contribute to the observed high energy neutrinos. These processes will be discussed and the observational consequences, in particular for current and forthcoming neu…
The optical afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 970508 (z = 0.835) was a few hundred times more luminous than any supernova. Therefore, a name `hypernova' is proposed for the whole GRB/afterglow event. There is tentative evidence that the GRBs: 970228, 970508, and 970828 were close to star forming regions. If this case is strengthened with future afterglows then the popular model in which GRBs are caused be merging neutron stars will have to be abandoned, and a model linking GRBs to cataclysmic deaths of massive stars will be favored. The presence of X-ray precursors, first detected with Ging…
The discovery that the short-lived radionucleide iron-60 was present in the oldest meteorites suggests that the formation of the Earth closely followed the death of a massive star. I discuss three astrophysical origins: winds from an AGB star, injection of supernova ejecta into circumstellar disks, and induced star formation on the boundaries of HII regions. I show that the first two fail to match the solar system iron-60 abundance in the vast majority of star forming systems. The cores and pillars on the edges of HII regions are spectacular but rare sites of star formation and larger clumps w…
There is strong evidence that long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are produced during the collapse of a massive star. In the standard version of the Collapsar model, a broad-lined and luminous Type Ic core-collapse supernova (SN) accompanies the GRB. This association has been confirmed in observations of several nearby GRBs. Recent observations show that some long duration GRBs are different. No SN emission accompanied the long duration GRBs 060505 and 060614 down to limits fainter than any known Type Ic SN and hundreds of times fainter than the archetypal SN1998bw that accompanied GRB980425…
Over the past decade our physical understanding of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has progressed rapidly thanks to the discovery and observation of their long-lived afterglow emission. Long-duration (T < 2 s) GRBs are associated with the explosive deaths of massive stars (``collapsars''), which produce accompanying supernovae, while the short-duration (T > 2 s) GRBs arise from a different origin, which has been argued to be the merger of two compact objects, either neutron stars or black holes. Here we present observations of GRB060614, a 100-s long burst discovered by the Swift satellite, which requ…
The gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) of long duration are very likely to be connected to the death of massive stars. The gamma-ray emission is believed to come from energy released internally in a flow that moves at ultrarelativistic speed. The fast flow drives a shock wave into the external medium leading to the afterglow emission. Most massive stars form in dense clusters, their high luminosity producing a very dense radiation field. Here, I explore the observational consequences of the interaction of the shocked external medium of the burst with the photon field of a nearby O star. I show that inver…
Over the past five years evidence has mounted that long-duration (> 2 s) gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)--the most brilliant of all astronomical explosions--signal the collapse of massive stars in our Universe. This evidence was originally based on the probable association of one unusual GRB with a supernova, but now includes the association of GRBs with regions of massive star formation in distant galaxies, the appearance of supernova-like 'bumps' in the optical afterglow light curves of several bursts and lines of freshly synthesized elements in the spectra of a few X-ray afterglows. These observati…
Absorption and reprocessing of Gamma-ray burst radiation in the environment of cosmological GRBs can be used as a powerful probe of the elusive nature of their progenitors. Although it is widely accepted that long-duration GRBs are associated with the deaths of massive stars, at least two fundamentally different scenarios concerning the final collapse are currently being considered. Delayed reddened excesses in the optical afterglows of several GRBs indicate that a supernova, possibly of Type Ic, takes place within a few days of a GRB. This supports the collapsar model, where the core of a mas…
One of the most dramatic possible consequences of stellar rotation is its influence on stellar death, particularly of massive stars. If the angular momentum of the iron core when it collapses is such as to produce a neutron star with a period of 5 ms or less, rotation will have important consequences for the supernova explosion mechanism. Still shorter periods, corresponding to a neutron star rotating at break up, are required for the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Current stellar models, while providing an excess of angular momentum to pulsars, still fall short of what is needed to m…
Long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) accompany the deaths of some massive stars and hence, since massive stars are short lived, are a tracer of star formation activity. Given that GRBs are bright enough to be seen to very high redshifts, and detected even in dusty environments, they should therefore provide a powerful probe of the global star formation history of the universe. The potential of this approach can be investigated via submm photometry of GRB host galaxies. Submm luminosity also correlates with star formation rate, so the distribution of host galaxy submm fluxes should allow us to…
It is now accepted that long duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are produced during the collapse of a massive star. The standard "collapsar" model predicts that a broad-lined and luminous Type Ic core-collapse supernova (SN) accompanies every long-duration GRB. This association has been confirmed in observations of several nearby GRBs. Here we present observations of two nearby long-duration GRBs that challenge this simple view. In the GRBs 060505 and 060614 we demonstrate that no SN emission accompanied these long-duration bursts, down to limits hundreds of times fainter than the archetypal SN …
Massive stars undergo a violent death when the supply of nuclear fuel in their cores is exhausted, resulting in a catastrophic "core-collapse" supernova. Such events are usually only detected at least a few days after the star has exploded. Observations of the supernova SNLS-04D2dc with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer space telescope reveal a radiative precursor from the supernova shock before the shock reached the surface of the star and show the initial expansion of the star at the beginning of the explosion. Theoretical models of the ultraviolet light curve confirm that the progenitor was a r…
The death of massive stars and the processes which govern the formation of compact remnants are not fully understood. Observationally, this problem may be addressed by studying different classes of cosmic explosions and their energy sources. Here we discuss recent results on the energetics of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and Type Ib/c Supernovae (SNe Ib/c). In particular, radio observations of GRB030329, which allow us to undertake calorimetry of the explosion, reveal that some GRBs are dominated by mildly relativistic ejecta such that the total explosive yield of GRBs is nearly constant, while the…
The cosmic reionization era, which includes formation of the first stars, galaxies, and AGN, is now one of the most active frontiers of cosmological research. We review briefly our current understanding of the early structure formation, and use the ideas about a joint formation of massive black holes (which power the early QSOs) and their host galaxies to employ high-redshift QSOs as probes of the early galaxy formation and primordial large-scale structure. There is a growing evidence for a strong biasing in the formation of the first luminous sources, which would lead to a clumpy reionization…
