Welcome!
The evolution of massive stars is still one of the main puzzling subjects in modern stellar astrophysics. Till now, it is unclear how stars more massive than 10 solar masses can form, and how massive stars evolve after they have left the main sequence (i.e. finished the core-hydrogen burning phase). Observationally, we know of many different transition phases in the life of massive stars: luminous blue variables, B[e] supergiants, blue supergiants, red supergiants, yellow super- and hypergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars. But the real evolutionary path of a massive star is unknown. Particularly puzzling are those transition phases, in which the stars undergo strongly enhanced mass loss and sudden eruptions. The ejected material often accumulates in the close-by environment, forming circumstellar shells, rings, or disks. While the physical triggering mechanism for such mass ejection phases is not settled yet, there is growing evidence that pulsational instabilities play an important role. To significantly improve our current knowledge on the post-main sequence evolution of massive stars it is crucial to fully understand the physical processes causing and driving mass ejections. Therefore, this workshop is aimed to gather experts in the fields of stellar atmospheres, stellar winds, pulsations, and physics and chemistry of circumstellar material, coming from both theory and observations.
Major topics:
- stellar pulsations as mass-loss trigger
- clumping in hot star winds
- mass-loss variability
- structure, kinematics, and chemistry of circumstellar environments
- new methods for disentangling stellar populations (LBVs, B[e]SGs, YHGs)
Invited speakers:
- Maria Laura Arias (University of La Plata, Argentina)
- Marcelo Borges Fernandes (National Observatory, Rio de Janaeiro, Brazil)
- Julio Campagnolo (National Observatory, Rio de Janaeiro, Brazil)
- Lydia Cidale (University of La Plata, Argentina)
- Michel Curé (University of Valparaiso, Chile)
- Tõnis Eenmäe (Tartu Observatory, Estonia)
- Carlos Guerrero (National Observatory, Rio de Janaeiro, Brazil)
- Michalis Kourniotis (Astronomical Institute, Ondřejov, Czech Republic)
- Indrek Kolka (Tartu Observatory, Estonia)
- Tiina Liimets (Tartu Observatory, Estonia)
- Alex Lobel (Royal Observatory Brussels, Belgium)
- Dieter Nickeler (Astronomical Institute, Ondřejov, Czech Republic)
- Grigoris Maravelias (University of Valparaiso, Chile)
- Olga Maryeva (Astronomical Institute, Ondřejov, Czech Republic)
- Sanja Tomić (Astronomical Institute, Ondřejov, Czech Republic)
- Andrea Torres (University of La Plata, Argentina)
- Rene Oudmaijer (Leeds University, United Kingdom)
- Rodolfo Vallverdú (University of La Plata, Argentina)
