Effects of fast rotation on the wind of Luminous Blue Variables
Abstract
While theoretical studies have long suggested a fast-rotating nature of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs), observational confirmation of fast rotation was not detected until recently. Here I discuss the diagnostics that have allowed us to constrain the rotational velocity of LBVs: broadening of spectral lines and latitude-dependent variations of the wind density structure. While rotational broadening can be directly detected using high-resolution spectroscopy, long-baseline near-infrared interferometry is needed to directly measure the shape of the latitude-dependent photosphere that forms in a fast-rotating star. In addition, complex 2-D radiative transfer models need to be employed if one's goal is to constrain rotational velocities of LBVs. Here I illustrate how the above methods were able to constrain the rotational velocities of the LBVs AG Carinae, HR Carinae, and Eta Carinae.
- Publication:
-
Active OB Stars: Structure, Evolution, Mass Loss, and Critical Limits
- Pub Date:
- July 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921311009975
- Bibcode:
- 2011IAUS..272...56G
- Keywords:
-
- stars: rotation;
- stars: atmospheres;
- stars: emission-line;
- techniques: interferometric