Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter HotStars

Friday, 15 September 2023, 16:15   (H 2036)

Wind properties of Wolf-Rayet-type central stars of planetary nebulae

H. Todt
Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam

Wolf-Rayet stars are characterized by bright and broad emission lines in their spectra, originating from fast, powerful stellar winds. Most Wolf-Rayet-type stars are descendants of massive OB stars. However, also low-mass stars, like our Sun, can turn into Wolf-Rayet-type stars at the end of their life, when they become central stars of planetary nebulae. We have performed quantitative spectral analyses of WR-type central stars to constrain and understand their formation and evolution. While most of the known WR-type central stars have a WC-type spectrum, some also have WN, WN/WC, or Of/WN spectra, often with abundance patterns that are different from those of the massive WR-type stars. We will present the results obtained so far and compare them with predictions from stellar evolution models for hydrogen-deficient central stars. Eventually, we will put their wind properties into context with those of massive WR stars.