Editorial: Mass and Angular Momentum Transport of Rapidly Rotating Hot Stars

Abstract

This dedicated journal collection will present and discuss a variety of science cases that can be used to extend our knowledge of massive stars and the influence of their rapid rotation on their subsequent evolution. The aim is to build understanding of this pivotal class of stellar objects that provides the energy and processed material driving galactic evolution and setting the stage for subsequent star and planet formation. This collection of papers offers a unique discussion of physical factors that are driven by rapid rotation and whose influence directly impact the evolution and end-of-life state of massive stars. They are presented together to give the reader a perspective that only the ensemble can provide instead of a single paper. We hope that we are successful in our goal of shedding light on the scope and outcome of this important facet of massive star physics.

Figures (1)

• Figure 1: An HR diagram from Labadie-Bartz et al. (2025, this collection) showing evolutionary tracks extracted from a subset of 318 models using the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) code Eldridge2017 of both the mass donor and mass gainer.