Corrections for Hydrostatic Atmospheric Models: Radii and Effective Temperatures of Wolf Rayet Stars

Abstract

With the assumption of planparallel hydrostatic atmospheres, used generally for the computation of evolutionary models, the radii of WR stars are seriously underestimated. The true atmospheres may be very extended, due to the effect of the stellar wind. Instead of these hydrostatic atmospheres we consider dynamical atmospheres adopting a velocity law. The equation of the optical depth is integrated outwards using the equation of continuity.

The “hydrostatic” radii are to be multiplied with a factor 2 to 8, and the effective temperatures with a factor 0.8 to 0.35 when Wolf Rayet characteristics for the wind are considered, and WR mass loss rates are used. With these corrections the effective temperatures of the theoretical models, which are helium burning Roche lobe overflow remnants, range between 30 000 K and 50 000 K. Effective temperatures calculated in the hydrostatic hypothesis can be as high as 150 000 K for helium burning RLOF-remnants with WR mass loss rates.