Massive stars, their formation and their multiplicity

ABSTRACT

Massive stars are very influential objects, affecting both their local and galactic environments through their creation of the heavy elements and their immense feedback. Furthermore, the lives of massive stars are further complicated by the fact that most of them exist in at least a binary system and stars in such systems can interact and affect their evolution. Massive stars tend to be kpc away from the Earth though, and as a result understanding their behaviour and formation can require high-resolution observations. In this seminar, I will describe how I use optical/IR interferometry to probe the lives of massive stars, from their formation to their evolved stages, and how this technique can shed a unique view on these influential objects.