OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE FOR A CORRELATION BETWEEN MACROTURBULENT BROADENING AND LINE-PROFILE VARIATIONS IN OB SUPERGIANTS

摘要

The spectra of O and B supergiants (Sgs) are known to be affected by a significant form of extra line broadening (usually referred to as macroturbulence) in addition to that produced by stellar rotation. Recent analyses of highresolution spectra have shown that the interpretation of this line broadening as a consequence of large-scale turbulent motions would imply highly supersonic velocity fields in photospheric regions, making this scenario quite improbable. Stellar oscillations have been proposed as a likely alternative explanation. As part of a long-term observational project,we are investigating the macroturbulent broadening inOand B Sgs and its possible connection with spectroscopic variability phenomena and stellar oscillations. In this Letter, we present the first encouraging results of our project, namely, firm observational evidence for a strong correlation between the extra broadening and photospheric line-profile variations in a sample of 13 Sgs with spectral types ranging from O9.5 to B8.