Rotation plays an important role in the structure and evolution of massive stars. It leads to deviation from spherical symmetry for very fast rotating stars, mixing in otherwise unmixed radiative regions and generally increased mass loss. In addition, magnetic fields interact with rotation and lead to significant transport of angular momentum. In this article, we review the various rotational and magnetic instabilities present in massive stars and their implementation in one-dimensional stellar evolution codes. We then focus on their impact on the evolution of single rotating stars. Finally, we compare rotating models to observations and discuss ways to disentangle between various uncertainties.

Our knowledge of massive star evolution is limited by uncertainties linked with multi-dimensional processes taking place in stellar interiors. Important examples are convective boundary mixing (CBM) and entrainment, which are implemented in 1D stellar evolution models assuming simplified prescriptions. 3D hydrodynamics models can improve these prescriptions by studying realistic multi-D processes for a short timerange (minutes or hours). In these proceedings, we present results coming from a new set of high-resolution hydrodynamics simulations of a neon-burning shell in a massive star, and discuss how the entrainment law can be calibrated from 3D models and then used to improve 1D stellar evolution prescriptions.

The first stars in the Universe have inherited their composition from primordial nucleosynthesis, so they have no metal. These stars, which are also named population III (pop III) stars, began the process of reionization in the Universe and contributed to the metal enrichment with heavy elements. Previous studies showed that they should have been rotating fast due to small or no angular momentum loss, reaching easily the critical velocity since they are massive and have very low stellar winds, thus their mass loss is very low or zero. Our aim is to study how the production of primary nitrogen is affected due to high rotation in the pop III stars. So, we compared grids of pop III stars with zero, average, and high rotation. All these models have been computed using Geneva code (GENEC) in the mass range of 9M⊙ ≤ Mini ≤ 120M⊙. Due to the rotational mixing, the carbon produced in the He-burning core is diffused towards the H-burning shell, triggering the CNO cycle and producing primary nitrogen. In some models the transition of the shell from a pp-chain H-burning to a CNO H-burning induces a strong energy release and a complete change of the stellar structure and the nucleosynthesis. The production of nitrogen is boosted for the high rotation models.

Magnetism can greatly impact the evolution of stars. In some stars with OBA spectral types there is direct evidence via the Zeeman effect for stable, large-scale magnetospheres, which lead to the spin-down of the stellar surface and reduced mass loss. So far, a comprehensive grid of stellar structure and evolution models accounting for these effects was lacking. For this reason, we computed and studied models with two magnetic braking and two chemical mixing schemes in three metallicity environments with the mesa software instrument. We find notable differences between the subgrids, which affects the model predictions and thus the detailed characterisation of stars. We are able to quantify the impact of magnetic fields in terms of preventing quasi-chemically homogeneous evolution and producing slowly-rotating, nitrogen-enriched (“Group 2”) stars. Our model grid is fully open access and open source.

Massive stars have a strong impact on their surroundings, in particular when they produce a core-collapse supernova at the end of their evolution. In these proceedings, we review the general evolution of massive stars and their properties at collapse as well as the transition between massive and intermediate-mass stars. We also summarise the effects of metallicity and rotation. We then discuss some of the major uncertainties in the modelling of massive stars, with a particular emphasis on the treatment of convection in 1D stellar evolution codes. Finally, we present new 3D hydrodynamic simulations of convection in carbon burning and list key points to take from 3D hydrodynamic studies for the development of new prescriptions for convective boundary mixing in 1D stellar evolution codes.

We present the first detailed three-dimensional hydrodynamic implicit large eddy simulations of turbulent convection for carbon burning. The simulations start with an initial radial profile mapped from a carbon burning shell within a 15 M⊙ stellar evolution model. We considered 4 resolutions from 1283 to 10243 zones. These simulations confirm that convective boundary mixing (CBM) occurs via turbulent entrainment as in the case of oxygen burning. The expansion of the boundary into the surrounding stable region and the entrainment rate are smaller at the bottom boundary because it is stiffer than the upper boundary. The results of this and similar studies call for improved CBM prescriptions in 1D stellar evolution models.

A few core collapse supernovae progenitors have been found to be yellow or blue supergiants. Weshall discuss possible scenarios involving single and close binary evolution allowing to explain this kind of corecollapse supernova progenitors. According to stellar models for both single and close binaries, blue supergiants, at theend of their nuclear lifetimes and thus progenitors of core collapse supernovae, present very different characteristicsfor what concerns their surface compositions, rotational surface velocities and pulsational properties with respect toblue supergiants in their core helium burning phase. We discuss how the small observed scatter of the flux-weightedgravity-luminosity (FWGL) relation of blue supergiants constrains the evolution of massive stars after the Main-Sequence phase and the nature of the progenitors of supernovae in the mass range between 12 and 40 solarmasses. The present day observed surface abundances of blue supergiants, of their pulsational properties, as well asthe small scatter of the FWGL relation provide strong constraints on both internal mixing and mass loss in massivestars and therefore on the end point of their evolution.

We produced a model grid of rotating main and post-main sequence stars with the Geneva Stellar Evolution Code (GENEC). The initial chemical composition is tailored to compare with observations of early OB type stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the grid covers stellar masses in the range of 7 ≤ M/M⊙ ≤ 15 and initial velocity between 0 km s−1 ≤ v sin(i) ≤ 300 km s−1. The model grid has been used to determine the changes in the surface Nitrogen abundances during the star evolution and the results have been compared with observations.

Stellar evolution models predict that rotation induces the mixing of chemical species, with the subsequent surface abundance anomalies relative to single non-rotating models, even during the main sequence (MS) evolution. The lack of measurable nitrogen surface enrichment in MS rotating stars, such as Be stars, has been interpreted as being in conflict with evolutionary models (e.g. Lennon et al. 2005; Hunter et al. 2008). In order to have an insight on the kind of ambient we do or we do not expect to find enriched rotating stars, we use our new population synthesis code, to produce synthetic intermediate-mass stellar populations fully accounting for stellar rotation effects, and study their evolution in time.

Recent stellar evolution computations indicate that massive stars in the range ~ 20-30 M⊙ are located in the blue supergiant (BSG) region of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram at two different stages of their life: immediately after the main sequence (MS, group 1) and during a blueward evolution after the red supergiant phase (group 2). From the observation of the pulsationnal properties of a subgroup of variable BSGs (α Cyg variables), one can deduce that these stars belongs to group 2. It is however difficult to simultaneously fit the observed surface abundances and gravity for these stars, and this allows to constrain the physical processes of chemical species transport in massive stars. We will show here that the surface abundances are extremely sensitive to the physics of convection, particularly the location of the intermediate convective shell that appears at the ignition of the hydrogen shell burning after the MS. Our results show that the use of the Ledoux criterion to determine the convective regions in the stellar models leads to a better fit of the surface abundances for α Cyg variables than the Schwarzschild one.

In this contribution we present initial results of a study on convective boundary mixing (CBM) in massive stellar models using the GENEVA stellar evolution code (Eggenberger et al.2008). Before undertaking costly 3D hydrodynamic simulations, it is important to study the general properties of convective boundaries, such as the: composition jump; pressure gradient; and “stiffness”. Models for a 15M⊙ star were computed. We found that for convective shells above the core, the lower (in radius or mass) boundaries are “stiffer” according to the bulk Richardson number than the relative upper (Schwarzschild) boundaries. Thus, we expect reduced CBM at the lower boundaries in comparison to the upper. This has implications on flame front propagation and the onset of novae.

Red supergiants (RSG) are a crucial phase in the evolution of massive stars. At solar metallicity, they represent the stage where substantial amounts of mass and angular momentum are lost. Here we investigate the role of RSGs at very low metallicity. We have computed evolutionary tracks at Z=0.0004 with and without rotation, using the latest version of the Geneva stellar evolution code. Here, we briefly discuss the evolution of RSGs, their lifetimes, mass ranges for forming RSGs, maximum luminosity of RSGs, and how these are affected by rotation.

We discuss four questions dealing with massive star evolution. The first one is about the origin of slowly rotating, non-evolved, nitrogen rich stars. We propose that these stars may originate from initially fast rotating stars whose surface has been braked down. The second question is about the evolutionary status of α-Cygni variables. According to their pulsation properties, these stars should be post red supergiant stars. However, some stars at least present surface abundances indicating that they should be pre red supergiant stars. How to reconcile these two contradictory requirements? The third one concerns the various supernova types which are the end point of the evolution of stars with initial masses between 18 and 30M⊙, i.e. the most massive stars which go through a red supergiant phase during their lifetime. Do they produce types IIP, IIL, IIn, IIb or Ib supernovae or do they end without producing any SN event? Finally, we shall discuss reasons why so few progenitors of type Ibc supernovae have yet been detected?

Mass-loss rates are one of the most relevant parameters determining the evolution of massive stars. In particular, the rate at which the star loses mass during the red-supergiant (RSG) phase is the least constrained by the observations or theory. In this paper, we show how the mass loss during the RSG phase affects the later evolution of the star, as well as the final type of supernova towards which it leads. We also discuss some possibilities to discriminate between blue stars that went through a RSG phase and those which remained in the blue part of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.

We discuss the physics and the evolution of a typical massive star passing through an evolutionary stage similar to that of Betelgeuse. After a brief introduction recalling various observed parameters of Betelgeuse, we discuss the Pre-Main-Sequence phase (PMS), the Main-Sequence (MS) phase, the physics governing the duration of the first crossing of the HR diagram, the red supergiant stage (RSG), the post-red supergiant phases and the final fate of solar metallicity stars with masses between 9 and 25 M⊙. We examine the impact of different initial rotation and of various prescriptions for the mass loss rates during the red supergiant phase. We show that, whatever the initial rotation rate (chosen between 0 and 0.7 × υcrit, υcrit being the surface equatorial velocity producing a centrifugal acceleration balancing exactly the gravity) and the mass loss rates during the RSG stage (varied between a standard value and 25 times that value), a 15 M⊙ star always ends its lifetime as a RSG and explodes as a type II-P or II-L supernova.

We review the significant role played by red supergiants (RSGs) in stellar populations, and some challenges and questions they raise for theoretical stellar evolution. We present how metallicity and rotation modify the way stars go to the red part of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram or come back from it, and how RSGs might keep a trace of their main-sequence evolution. We compare theoretical population ratios with observed ones.

The treatment of mixing is still one of the major uncertainties in stellar evolution models. One open question is how well the prescriptions for rotational mixing describe the real effects. We tested the mixing prescriptions included in the Geneva stellar evolution code (GENEC) by following the evolution of surface abundances of light isotopes in massive stars, such as boron and nitrogen. We followed 9, 12 and 15 M⊙ models with rotation from the zero age main sequence up to the end of He burning. The calculations show the expected behaviour with faster depletion of boron for faster rotating stars and more massive stars. The mixing at the surface is more efficient than predicted by prescriptions used in other codes and reproduces the majority of observations very well. However two observed stars with strong boron depletion but no nitrogen enrichment still can not be explained and let the question open whether additional mixing processes are acting in these massive stars.

Impairments in intentional—but not unintentional—inhibition have been found in schizophrenia, and are thought to contribute to the presence of psychotic symptoms. However, it was previously unknown whether this intentional cognitive control impairment extends to intentional resistance to interference—another form of cognitive control. The current study resolved this issue through administering two cognitive control measures: one with a high intentional resistance to interference demand and the other with a high unintentional inhibition demand, to schizophrenia (n = 61) and healthy control (n = 34) participants. Consistent with previous findings, schizophrenia participants’ performance on the measures with a high unintentional inhibition demand was intact; however, they were impaired on the task with high intentional resistance to interference demands compared with controls. This latter finding suggests that intentional cognitive control impairments previously found in schizophrenia are not specific to inhibition, but instead are more general, including both processes requiring inhibition (as consistently reported in the literature) and resistance to interference (as found in the current study). (JINS, 2009, 15, 982–989.)

The development of Filaroides hirthi has been shown to proceed through all 5 stages in the lungs of experimental dogs and the attendant morphological changes are described and illustrated. These observations are interpreted as proof that the unhatched larva of F. hirthi is the 1st stage and that the 1st stage is infective. Moults occurred at approximately 1, 2, 6 and 9 days after infection in the lung tissue. Larvae also developed in vitro to the doubly ensheathed 3rd stage which is the stage achieved by heteroxenous metastrongyloids in their molluscan intermediate hosts. The arrival of 1st-stage larvae in the lungs as early as 6h after oral administration and the anatomical distribution of larvae during the first 24 h indicates that larvae are transported from the alimentary tract to the lungs by way of the hepatic portal circulation, the mesenteric lymphatic drainage, or both. First-stage larvae and eggs containing 1st-stage larvae, when injected into the jugular vein, developed into adult F. hirthi lung- worms in the usual 5 week pre-patent period. This was interpreted as demonstrating that the canine alimentary canal, although undoubtedly the normal portal of entry, is not a site of reactions indispensable to the activation or development of the larvae. Eggs containing 1st-stage larvae, when introduced by jugular and portal venous and mesenteric lymphatic routes, yielded equivalent numbers of adult lungworms indicating that neither the hepatic capillary bed nor the mesenteric lymph nodes presented quantitatively significant impediments to their passage. The question is raised whether the mesenteric lymphatics really are the exclusive migration pathways of certain other species of metastrongyloid larvae. The suggestion is made that conventional studies based on the anatomical/time distribution of larvae be supplemented by intravascular experiments like those described in this report, to provide an independent line of evidence.

We investigate the evolution of nearby like-sign vortices whose centres are at different vertical levels in a stably stratified rotating fluid. We employ two differently singularized representations of the potential vorticity distribution in the quasi-geostrophic equations (QG), in order to elucidate the pair-interaction behaviour previously seen in non-singular QG numerical solutions. The first is an analytically tractable conservative (Hamiltonian) elliptical-moment model (EM) for thin-core vortices, which exhibits a regime of very strong horizontal elongation of a vortex in response to the strain induced by its partner. We interpret this as an early evolutionary stage towards the irreversible dissipative merger and alignment interactions. This interpretation is strengthened by weakly dissipative numerical solutions of a thin-core contour-dynamics model (CD), which exhibit even further progress towards the completion of these vortex interactions in the same regime.

In the EM model we classify the co-rotating stationary states which exist always for vertically offset thin-core vortices. However, the mutual strain field among the vortices cannot be balanced by co-rotation in a weakly elongated stationary state for a certain class of neighbouring, but substantially non-aligned, vortex configurations, and our interpretive assumption is that such configurations will rapidly evolve in non-singular QG solutions towards a more aligned configuration through significantly non-conservative reorganizations of the potential vorticity field. Both the EM and CD models show qualitatively similar regime boundaries between evolutions with weakly and strongly deformed vortices. In particular, there is a fairly close correspondence between the occurrence of strong vortex elongation in the EM solutions and significant filamentation and splitting in the CD solutions.