Circumstellar Material Around Evolved Massive Stars

Abstract

I review multiwavelength observations of material seen around different types of evolved massive stars (i.e. red supergiants, yellow hypergiants, luminous blue variables, B[e] supergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars), concentrating on diagnostics of mass, composition, and kinetic energy in both local and distant examples. Circumstellar material has significant implications for the evolutionary state of the star, the role of episodic mass loss in stellar evolution, and the roles of binarity and rotation in shaping the ejecta. This mass loss determines the type of supernova that results via the stripping of the star's outer layers, but the circumstellar gas can also profoundly influence the immediate pre-supernova environment. Dense circumstellar material can actually change the type of supernova that is seen when it is illuminated by the supernova or heated by the blast wave. As such, unresolved circumstellar material illuminated by distant supernovae can provide a way to study mass loss in massive stars in distant environments.