1 Introduction

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PhD Thesis

MPhys Thesis

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Chp 1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | -1.9.1 | -1.9.2 | 1.10 | -1.10.1 | -1.10.2 | -1.10.3 | -1.10.4 | 1.11

Download PhD Thesis Contents Abstract Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Bibliography

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Chapter 1
Introduction

Abstract

In the of field main-sequence stellar evolution one problem has continued to remain enigmatic: what happens when stars rotate at high speeds? The solution may lie in examining the fastest rotating main sequence stars - the Be stars. This chapter outlines what a Be star is, starting with the archetype,

Cassiopeia, discovered as an emission line star by Father Angelo Secchi (1867) and explores the growth of our knowledge, from discovery to the present day. It highlights some of the gaps in both theoretical and observational work and tries to separate fact from fiction in the environment of Be stars.

For my parents, who encouraged me to dream...

...And for Vikki, who made so many of my dreams come true.

It is dangerous to read in a sorcerer’s books. . .
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1854)

1.1 B stars
1.2 What is a Be star?
1.3 The Distribution of Circumstellar Material
1.4 The Infrared Excess of Be stars
1.5 How do Stars Lose their Mass?
1.6 Velocity Structure of Discs
1.7 V/R Variations
1.8 Polarisation
1.9 Empirically Derived Models
  1.9.1 The Poeckert and Marlborough Model
  1.9.2 The Disc Model
1.10 Theoretical Interpretation of Disc Structure
  1.10.1 The Wind Compressed Disc Model
  1.10.2 Non-Radial Pulsations
  1.10.3 Wind Bi-Stability
  1.10.4 Viscous Discs
1.11 Thesis Overview

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Chapter 1Introduction

Chapter 1
Introduction