On the evolution and fate of supermassive stars

Abstract

We study the evolution and fate of solar composition supermassive stars in the mass range 60 - 1000 Msun. Our study is relevant both for very massive objects observed in young stellar complexes as well as supermassive stars that may potentially form through runaway stellar collisions. We predict the outcomes of stellar evolution employing a mass-loss prescription that is consistent with the observed Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram location of the most massive stars. We compute a series of stellar models with an appropriately modified version of the Eggleton evolutionary code. We find that super-massive stars with initial masses up to 1000 Msun end their lives as objects less massive than ~150 Msun. These objects are expected to collapse into black holes (with M < 70 Msun) or explode as pair-instability supernovae. We argue that if ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) contain intermediate-mass black holes, these are unlikely to be the result of runaway stellar collisions in the cores of young clusters.

26 pages, 15 figures, accepted by A&A. small language corrections

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• Towards an Accurate Determination of Parameters for Very Massive Stars: the Eclipsing Binary LMC-SC1-105
• The Dynamical Effects of White Dwarf Birth Kicks in Globular Star Clusters
• Biases on initial mass function determinations. II. Real multiple systems and chance superpositions
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• The most massive core collapse supernova progenitors
• HD271791: dynamical versus binary-supernova ejection scenario
• The evolution of massive and very massive stars in clusters
• A supersymmetric model for triggering Supernova Ia in isolated white dwarfs
• Gravitational Dynamics of Large Stellar Systems
• Stellar Collisions in Young Clusters: Formation of (Very) Massive Stars?
• Around the Pair Instability Valley - Massive SN Progenitors