Research Division Seminar
The rotation of massive stars with and without compact companions

Abstract

Massive stars are generally fast rotators, however, with significant dispersion. We discuss the hypothesis that all OB stars are all born with very similar spins, with slower and faster rotators being produced by close binary evolution. We review supporting evidence from recent observations of young and rich star clusters, from OB star surveys, and from dense grids of detailed binary evolution models. We connect the OB star spins with the likelihood of evolved/compact binary companions, and with the variety of the explosive end states of massive stars.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/yJHMQFmLsGE