Direct spectroscopic observations of clumping in O-star winds

Abstract

We report the detection and monitoring of transient substructures in the radiation-driven winds of five massive, hot stars in different evolutionary stages. Clumping in the winds of these stars shows up as variable, narrow subpeaks superposed on their wide, wind-broadened (optical) emission lines. Similar patterns of emission-line profile variations are detected in the Of stars zeta Puppis and HD93129A, in the more evolved hydrogen-rich, luminous, Of-like WN stars HD93131 and HD93162, and in the more mass-depleted WC star in gamma2 Velorum. These observations strongly suggest that stochastic wind clumping is a universal phenomenon in the radiation-driven, hot winds from all massive stars, with similar clumping factors in all stages of mass depletion.