The terminal velocities of stellar winds from early-type stars

Abstract

The terminal velocities of the stellar winds of 34 O, B, A, and Wolf-Rayet stars are empirically fitted by the relation x, 3v esc. This result agrees with predictions from the theory of radiatively driven stellar winds. It occurs because to a good approximation the velocity law for an individual star can be derived by applying a homology transformation to the nondimensionalized equation of motion. A table of derived stellar parameters and flow velocities is presented for 65 stars whose wind velocities were measurable, using UV scans by Copernicus.