POEMS — Physics of Extreme Massive Stars

Results in brief

Physics of Extreme Massive Stars

Massive stars are powerful cosmic engines. Throughout their life-time they enrich the environment with huge amounts of energy and with chemically processed material. The energy released is so powerful that it can trigger the formation of new generations of stars and planets, and the chemical elements produced inside these stars, and released to their environment via winds and eruptions, are the building blocks of all life as we know it on Earth. Despite the importance of massive stars for cosmic evolution, their aging process from the cradle up to their death in spectacular supernova explosions is most uncertain. This is due to the lack of precise knowledge of the physical mechanisms behind mass eruptions that occasionally occur during various late phases in the evolution of massive stars, and due to the high uncertainties in reliable values of the total amount of mass the star loses during each epoch of its life. With this project, we have succeeded in eliminating some of these uncertainties, allowing us to make reliable predictions about the evolution and fate of massive stars. The acquired knowledge will boost our understanding of physical and chemical processes taking place in the universe and their mutual interactions, which have relevance not only on galactic and intergalactic scales, but also on Earth and in every-day life. The results of our research will make the society more aware of our current position and our transiency in the universe. The new methodologies of calculation, image processing, data management, numerical methods, etc., created by our team can be used according to the needs of business, industry and for teaching at different levels of education. The newly acquired knowledge has the potential to drive the development of new devices to carry out future research projects and of new technologies of which society as a whole will benefit.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Massive stars are extreme cosmic engines, enriching their environments with chemically processed material throughout their entire life-time, and triggering star and planet formation. Despite their importance for the cosmic evolution, their evolutionary path up to their deaths as spectacular supernova explosions is most uncertain due to the lack of precise knowledge of the physical mechanisms behind mass eruptions. We wish to establish a multidisciplinary, international network of researchers from Europe, Asia, and South America with expertise in a variety of disciplines, and with background in both theory and observations. Our ultimate goal is to enlighten the processes that trigger mass loss in massive stars during extreme phases of their evolution. We will develop cutting-edge numerical codes suitable to describe the chemical and dynamical evolution of the stars, their winds, and their large-scale environments. In addition, we will initiate global observing campaigns utilizing facilities at major renowned observatories in combination with our national facilities, and exploit public archives from ground-based and space missions to acquire an outstanding set of urgently needed highest quality data. Confronting predictions from the numerical models with the observations will empower us to derive the first extensive and comprehensive set of precise physical parameters. The acquired results will significantly enhance our knowledge and lead to major advancements in all related fields. The bulk of exchanges will be undertaken by Early Stage Researchers and young Post-docs, who will be educated and trained in modern observing and data analyzing techniques and in high-performance computation, equipping them with excellent skills for their future careers. We will organize schools and workshops to share knowledge and to communicate and disseminate our results, which will be major breakthroughs and support the leading role of Europe in Astronomy.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

ASTRONOMICKY USTAV AV CR · OndrejovCoordinatorCzechia
GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN STIFTUNG OFFENTLICHEN RECHTS · GottingenGermany
KONINKLIJKE STERRENWACHT VAN BELGIE · Bruxelles / BrusselBelgium
MINISTERIO DA CIENCIA, TECNOLOGIA E INOVAÇÃO · BRASILIABrazil
PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE VALPARAISO · ValparaisoChile
SHAMAKHY ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORYOF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF AZERBAIJAN · BakuAzerbaijan
TARTU ULIKOOL · TartuEstonia
UNIVERSIDAD DE VALPARAISO · ValparaisoChile
UNIVERSIDAD MAYOR · PROVIDENCIAChile
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA PLATA · La PlataArgentina
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS · LeedsUnited Kingdom

POEMS · Physics of Extreme Massive Stars

Results in brief

Physics of Extreme Massive Stars

Project objective

Participants

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