Matheus Bernini  (Brazil)

matheus.bernini @ uni-heidelberg.de

Understanding the nature of radiation-driven winds in B-Supergiants and -Hypergiants stars

Understanding massive stars is fundamental to our comprehension of the Universe. While these luminous objects are rare and short-lived, they deeply impact the environment of their host galaxies, for example by ionizing, heating, and sculpting the interstellar medium with their powerful winds.

In my thesis, I am working on massive B stars, which mark an important transition phase between hotter and cooler stages of high-mass stars. My project aims to understand the different types of winds that we see in this transition regime, for example between B-Supergiants (thinner winds) and B-Hypergiants (denser winds), and the associated mass loss. We will use stellar atmosphere modelling (including wind dynamics and non-LTE radiative transfer) to investigate their radiation-driven winds, analyze their resulting spectra, and understand the connections between the different stages in the lives of massive stars.

Supervisor:   Andreas Sander   (ARI)