The X-Ray View of the Wolf-Rayet Stars

Abstract

Ever since the earliest work, X-ray observations have been central in the chequered development of the study of interacting high-velocity winds in binaries. This review assesses how confidently the observations of Wolf-Rayet stars may be interpreted as the result of colliding winds, drawing attention to the wide range of X-ray luminosities even among the relatively bright binaries. Although the data do not generally conform to the simplest binary models, some suggestions are made to reconcile theory and observation.