Instability and Variability of Hot-Star Winds : Proceedings of an International Workshop Held at Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec Province, Canada, August 23-27, 1993

This text assesses hot-star winds from an observational and a theoretical perspective. It discusses the observational diagnostics of time-dependent stellar-wind structure, the understanding of the origin of such structures and its consequences for the process of mass loss via stellar winds.

These proceedings of a workshop held at Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec, Canada in August 1993, provide an assessment of a fundamental subject in modern stellar astrophysics. Hot, luminous stars play a crucial role in the rapid recycling of matter in dense regions of the Universe. The most luminous objects generate the strongest outflows of material, which in turn have a profound impact on both the interstellar medium and the underlying stars themselves. However, recent observational and theoretical advances have shown that these outflows are highly unstable and inhomogeneous. These characteristics constitute a fundamental property of the outflows that can no longer be disregarded. This text provides an assessment of this important phenomenon from both an observational and a theoretical perspective. It includes up-to- date discussions of the observational diagnostics of time-dependent stellar-wind structure, the theoretical understanding of the origin of such structures, and its consequences for the process of mass loss via stellar winds.