Context. The structure of the inner parts of Be star disks (≲ 20 stellar radii) is well explained by the viscous decretion disk (VDD) model, which is able to reproduce the observable properties of most of the objects studied so far. The outer parts, on the other hand, are not observationally well-explored, as they are observable only at radio wavelengths. A steepening of the spectral slope somewhere between infrared and radio wavelengths was reported for several Be stars that were previously detected in the radio, but a convincing physical explanation for this trend has not yet been provided. Aims. We test the VDD model predictions for the extended parts of a sample of six Be disks that have been observed in the radio to address the question of whether the observed turndown in the spectral energy distribution (SED) can be explained in the framework of the VDD model, including recent theoretical development for truncated Be disks in binary systems. Methods. We combine new multi-wavelength radio observations from the Karl. G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) with previously published radio data and archival SED measurements at ultraviolet, visual, and infrared wavelengths. The density structure of the disks, including their outer parts, is constrained by radiative transfer modeling of the observed spectrum using VDD model predictions. In the VDD model we include the presumed effects of possible tidal influence from faint binary companions. Results. For 5 out of 6 studied stars, the observed SED shows strong signs of SED turndown between far-IR and radio wavelengths. A VDD model that extends to large distances closely reproduces the observed SEDs up to far IR wavelengths, but fails to reproduce the radio SED. Using a truncated VDD model improves the fit, leading to a successful explanation of the SED turndown observed for the stars in our sample. The slope of the observed SEDs in the radio is however not well reproduced by disks that are simply cut off at a certain distance. Rather, some matter seems to extend beyond the truncation radius, where it still contributes to the observed SEDs, making the spectral slope in the radio shallower. This finding is in agreement with our current understanding of binary truncation from hydrodynamical simulations, in which the disk does extend past the truncation radius. Therefore, the most probable cause for the SED turndown is the presence of binary companions that remain undetected for most of our sources.

Carbon is the basis for life, as we know it, but its origin is still largely unclear. Carbon-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars (carbon stars) play an important rôle in the cosmic matter cycle and may contribute most of the carbon in the Galaxy. In this thesis it is explored how the dust-driven mass loss of these stars depends on the basic stellar parameters by computing a large grid of wind models. The existence of a critical wind regime and mass-loss thresholds for dust-driven winds are confirmed. Furthermore, a steep dependence of mass loss on carbon excess is found. Exploratory work on the effects of different stellar metallicities and the sizes of dust grains shows that strong dust-driven winds develop also at moderately low metallicities, and that typical sizes of dust grains affect the wind properties near a mass-loss threshold. It is demonstrated that the mass-loss rates obtained with the wind models have dramatic consequences when used in models of carbon-star evolution. A pronounced superwind develops soon after the star becomes carbon rich, and it therefore experiences only a few thermal pulses as a carbon star before the envelope is lost. The number of dredge-up events and the thermal pulses is limited by a self-regulating mechanism: each thermal pulse dredges up carbon, which increases the carbon excess and hence also the mass-loss rate. In turn, this limits the number of thermal pulses. The mass-loss evolution during a thermal pulse (He-shell flash) is considered as an explanation of the observations of so-called detached shells around carbon stars. By combining models of dust-driven winds with a stellar evolution model, and a simple hydrodynamic model of the circumstellar envelope, it is shown that wind properties change character during a He-shell flash such that a thin detached gas shell can form by wind-wind interaction. Finally, it is suggested that carbon stars are responsible for much of the carbon in the interstellar medium, but a scenario where high-mass stars are major carbon producers cannot be excluded. In either case, however, the carbon abundances of the outer Galactic disc are relatively low, and most of the carbon has been released quite recently. Thus, there may neither be enough carbon, nor enough time, for more advanced carbon-based life to emerge in the outer Galaxy. This lends some support to the idea that only the mid-part of the Galactic disc can be a “Galactic habitable zone”, since the inner parts of the Galaxy are plagued by frequent supernova events that are presumably harmful to all forms of life.

Stars form inside clouds of molecular gas and dust. In the early stages of stellar evolution the remainders of the initial cloud form a circumstellar disk. For the next few million years the disk will slowly dissipate via accretion, outflows, photoevaporation and planet growth while the star makes its way onto the Main Sequence. This stage of a star's life is referred to as the T Tauri phase and is characterised by high-level spectrophotometric variability. This thesis aims to study and map out the environments of T Tauri stars down to the very low mass regime by the means of time-domain monitoring. Different physical processes in the system manifest themselves as variability on different time- scales as well as produce characteristic spectroscopic and photometric features at various wave- lengths. In order to study young stellar objects in depth, the observing campaigns presented in this work were designed to cover a large range of time-scales - minutes, hours, days and months. Combining all the data, this thesis establishes a baseline of over a decade for some objects. The observations also cover a wide range of wavelengths from the optical to the mid-infrared part of the spectrum. The star RW Aur experienced two long-lasting dimming events in 2010 and 2014. This thesis presents a large collection of spectral and photometric measurements carried out just before and during the 2014 event. Spectral accretion signatures indicate no change in the accretion activity of the system. Photometry indicates that parallel to the dimming in the optical the star becomes brighter in the mid-infrared. The observations in this work combined with literature data suggest that the origin of the 2014 event is most likely obscuration of the star by hot dust from the disk being lifted into the disk wind. Very low mass stars (< 0.4 M⊙) are the most common type of star in the Galaxy. In order to understand the early stages of stellar evolution we must study young very low mass stars. This work investigates the photometric and spectroscopic variability of seven brown dwarfs in star forming regions near σ Ori and ε Ori. All targets exhibit optical photometric variability between from 0.1 to over 1.0 magnitude that persists on a time-scale of at least one decade. Despite the photometric variability no change in the spectral type is measured. In the cases where the stars are accreting, modelling of the spectral changes suggest the accretion flow is more homogeneous and less funnelled compared to Sun-like T Tauri stars. The non-accreting variables are more plausibly explained by obscuration by circumstellar material, possibly a ring made out of multiple clouds of dust grains and pebbles with varying optical depths. The star-disk systems studied in this thesis have some broader implications for star and planet formation theory. The case-study of RW Aur has unambiguously demonstrated that the planet- forming environment is very dynamic and can change dramatically on short time-scales, which in turn would have implications for the diversity of planetary systems found in the Galaxy. The Orion stars have shown that the current theory for the T Tauri stage of stellar evolution is valid down to the very low mass regime. The seven dwarfs are a good example for the evolutionary path of circumstellar disks, showing the transition from gas-high, flared accretion disks (σ Ori) to dust-dominated, depleted, structured debris disks (ε Ori).

We review the recent discoveries of magnetic fields in different types of massive stars and briefly discuss strategies for spectropolarimetric observations to be carried out in the future.

Polarization is a powerful tool for understanding stellar atmospheres and circumstellar environments. Mira and semi-regular variable stars have been observed for decades and some are known to be polarimetrically variable, however, the semi-regular variable V Canes Venatici displays an unusually large, unexplained amount of polarization. We present ten years of optical polarization observations obtained with the HPOL instrument, supplemented by published observations spanning a total interval of about forty years for V CVn. We find that V CVn shows large polarization variations ranging from 1 - 6%. We also find that for the past forty years the position angle measured for V CVn has been virtually constant suggesting a long-term, stable, asymmetric structure about the star. We suggest that this asymmetry is caused by the presence of a stellar wind bow shock and tail, consistent with the star's large space velocity.

Le relevé DEBRIS est effectué par le télescope spatial Herschel. Il permet d’échantillonner les disques de débris autour d’étoiles de l’environnement solaire. Dans la première partie de ce mémoire, un relevé polarimétrique de 108 étoiles des candidates de DEBRIS est présenté. Utilisant le polarimètre de l’Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, des observations ont été effectuées afin de détecter la polarisation due à la présence de disques de débris. En raison d’un faible taux de détection d’étoiles polarisées, une analyse statistique a été réalisée dans le but de comparer la polarisation d’étoiles possédant un excès dans l’infrarouge et la polarisation de celles n’en possédant pas. Utilisant la théorie de diffusion de Mie, un modèle a été construit afin de prédire la polarisation due à un disque de débris. Les résultats du modèle sont cohérents avec les observations. La deuxième partie de ce mémoire présente des tests optiques du polarimètre POL-2, construit à l’Université de Montréal. L’imageur du télescope James-Clerk-Maxwell passe de l’instrument SCUBA à l’instrument SCUBA-2, qui sera au moins cent fois plus rapide que son prédécesseur. De même, le polarimètre suit l’amélioration et un nouveau polarimètre, POL-2, a été installé sur SCUBA-2 en juillet 2010. Afin de vérifier les performances optiques de POL-2, des tests ont été exécutés dans les laboratoires sub-millimétriques de l’Université de Western Ontario en juin 2009 et de l’Université de Lethbridge en septembre 2009. Ces tests et leurs implications pour les observations futures sont discutés. / The DEBRIS survey, being performed by the space telescope Herschel, is an unbiased sampling of the debris disks candidates in the solar neighbourhood. In the first part of this thesis, a ground-based polarimetric survey of 108 DEBRIS candidate stars is presented. Using the polarimeter, “La Belle et la Bete,” at the Mont-Megantic Observatory, observations were carried out in order to detect polarization induced by the presence of a debris disk. Due to a low rate of detection, a statistical analysis was performed to compare the polarization between stars owning a debris disk with stars without one. Using Mie scattering theory, a basic model was constructed to estimate the level of polarization produced by dust grains in a debris disk. The results of this model are consistent with our observations. The second part of the thesis presents the optical tests of the polarimeter POL-2, built at Université de Montréal. The James Clerk-Maxwell-Telescope imager SCUBA has been upgraded to SCUBA-2, which is more than one hundred times faster than its predecessor with 500 times more pixels. Likewise, the polarimeter follows the improvement as a new polarimeter, POL-2, was installed on SCUBA-2 in July 2010. In order to verify the optical performance of POL-2, tests were completed at the submillimeter laboratories at the University of Western Ontario in June 2009, and the University of Lethbridge in September 2009. These tests and their implications for future observations are discussed.

Optical long baseline interferometry was recently established as a technique capable of resolving stars and their circumstellar environments at the milliarcsecond (mas) resolution level. This high-resolution opens an entire new window to the study of astrophysical systems, providing information inaccessible by other techniques. Astrophysical disks are observed in a wide variety of systems, from galaxies up to planetary rings, commonly sharing similar physical processes. Two particular disk like systems are studied in the thesis: (i) B He-rich stars that exhibits magnetic fields in order of kG and that trap their winds in structures called magnetospheres; and (ii) Be stars, fast rotating stars that create circumstellar viscous disks. This study uses the interferometric technique to investigate both the photosphere proper and the circumstellar environment of these stars. The objective is to combine interferometry with other observational techniques (such as spectroscopy and polarimetry) to perform a complete and well-constrained physical description of these systems. This description is accompanied by radiative transfer models performed by the HDUST code. / Interferometria óptica de longa linha de base recentemente estabeleceu-se como uma técnica capaz de resolver estrelas e seus ambientes circunstelares no nível de mili segundos de arcos (\\textit). Esta alta resolução abre uma janela inteiramente nova para o estudo de sistemas astrofísicos, fornecendo informações inacessíveis por outras técnicas. Discos astrofísicos são observados numa ampla variedade de sistemas, de galáxias à discos planetários, em geral compartilhando de processos físicos similares. Dois sistemas de discos foram estudados nesta tese: (i) o estrelas B ricas em He e que possuem campos magnéticos da ordem de kG e que confinam seus ventos em estruturas chamadas magnetosferas; e (ii) estrelas Be, estrelas de rotação rápida que criam um disco circumstelar viscoso. Este estudo usa a técnica interferométrica para investigar ambas a própria fotosfera e o ambiente circunstelar destas estrelas. O objetivo é combinar a interferometria com outras técnicas observacionais (tal como espectroscopia e polarimetria) para realizar uma descrição física completa e precisa destes sistemas. Esta descrição é acompanhada por modelos de transferência radiativa executados pelo código HDUST.

Le relevé DEBRIS est effectué par le télescope spatial Herschel. Il permet d’échantillonner les disques de débris autour d’étoiles de l’environnement solaire. Dans la première partie de ce mémoire, un relevé polarimétrique de 108 étoiles des candidates de DEBRIS est présenté. Utilisant le polarimètre de l’Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, des observations ont été effectuées afin de détecter la polarisation due à la présence de disques de débris. En raison d’un faible taux de détection d’étoiles polarisées, une analyse statistique a été réalisée dans le but de comparer la polarisation d’étoiles possédant un excès dans l’infrarouge et la polarisation de celles n’en possédant pas. Utilisant la théorie de diffusion de Mie, un modèle a été construit afin de prédire la polarisation due à un disque de débris. Les résultats du modèle sont cohérents avec les observations. La deuxième partie de ce mémoire présente des tests optiques du polarimètre POL-2, construit à l’Université de Montréal. L’imageur du télescope James-Clerk-Maxwell passe de l’instrument SCUBA à l’instrument SCUBA-2, qui sera au moins cent fois plus rapide que son prédécesseur. De même, le polarimètre suit l’amélioration et un nouveau polarimètre, POL-2, a été installé sur SCUBA-2 en juillet 2010. Afin de vérifier les performances optiques de POL-2, des tests ont été exécutés dans les laboratoires sub-millimétriques de l’Université de Western Ontario en juin 2009 et de l’Université de Lethbridge en septembre 2009. Ces tests et leurs implications pour les observations futures sont discutés. / The DEBRIS survey, being performed by the space telescope Herschel, is an unbiased sampling of the debris disks candidates in the solar neighbourhood. In the first part of this thesis, a ground-based polarimetric survey of 108 DEBRIS candidate stars is presented. Using the polarimeter, “La Belle et la Bete,” at the Mont-Megantic Observatory, observations were carried out in order to detect polarization induced by the presence of a debris disk. Due to a low rate of detection, a statistical analysis was performed to compare the polarization between stars owning a debris disk with stars without one. Using Mie scattering theory, a basic model was constructed to estimate the level of polarization produced by dust grains in a debris disk. The results of this model are consistent with our observations. The second part of the thesis presents the optical tests of the polarimeter POL-2, built at Université de Montréal. The James Clerk-Maxwell-Telescope imager SCUBA has been upgraded to SCUBA-2, which is more than one hundred times faster than its predecessor with 500 times more pixels. Likewise, the polarimeter follows the improvement as a new polarimeter, POL-2, was installed on SCUBA-2 in July 2010. In order to verify the optical performance of POL-2, tests were completed at the submillimeter laboratories at the University of Western Ontario in June 2009, and the University of Lethbridge in September 2009. These tests and their implications for future observations are discussed.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / We present a multi-wavelength study of the stellar content of 11 optical/infrared Southern Galactic Hii regions with 10 h < α(J2000) < −17 h and −65° < δ(J2000) < −35°. Nine optical objects with no published or uncertain distances were examined in order to identify their ionising sources and to determine their distances, whereas young stellar objects (YSOs) and main sequence ionising stars were photometrically classified in the two infrared clusters. We carried out optical spectroscopy and UBV photometry of the stellar content of these Hii regions and obtained the distance of individual stars by spectroscopic parallax. To avoid using a fixed value for the total-to-selective extinction ratio RV , the reddening AV was determined directly by the colour-difference method. We classified as types O or B 24 out of the 31 stars for which optical spectra were obtained. In particular, we identified two new O stars in RCW98 and RCW99. The values for reddening obtained correspond to a mean hRV i = 3.44, which is about 10% higher of the mean value found for field stars over all directions of the Galaxy. For the Hii regions NGC3503, NGC6334, RCW55, RCW87, RCW98 e RCW99, we obtained more precise distances calculated as the median of the spectroscopic parallaxes obtained for two to six different stars in each nebulae, with an internal dispersion of less than 5%. Among the objects more obscured in the Norma region, we analysed the stellar content of the East part of the large complex of Hii regions GAL331.5-00.1, which contains eight bright extended radio sources. This study comprises the infrared clusters [DBS2003] 156 and [DBS2003] 157, respectively associated to Hii regions GAL331.11-00.51 and GAL331.31-00.34. In order to isolate the brightest 2MASS sources of their unresolved companions, we carried out JHK photometry with resolution better than 2MASS data. 47 Near-infrared (NIR) sources with Ks-band excess were identified following usual methods. Other 70 YSOs were also identified by using Mid-IR on-line data of the GLIMPSE survey. The search for radial-velocity measurements in the literature and the similarity between the stellar population explored have indicated the two regions as physically associated. With the determination of the spectroscopic parallaxes of four O-type and two B-type stars spread over the both clusters, this hypothesis was verified. The parallaxes of these 6 stars returned very compatible distances (hdhelioci = 3.30 ± 0.29 kpc). The Near- and Mid-IR counterparts of the IRAS source 16085-5138 was found close to the field of [DBS2003] 157. This source has showed typical colours of a Ultra-compact ii region (UCHii) and spectral index α = 3.6 between 2 and 25 μm, which is typical of YSOs immersed in protostellar envelopes. A lower limit to the bolometric luminosity of the protostar embedded was computed as L = 7.7×103L⊙ (M = 10M⊙), which corresponds to a BO-B1 zero-age star. The cluster [DBS2003] 157 was found to be spread over all ∼4′ × 4′ region demarcated by a intense shell-like dust emission, where a secondary massive star formation is going on, likely as a result of the interaction between this dust and stellar winds. / Apresentamos aqui um estudo multibanda do conteúdo estelar de onze regiões Hii do Hemisfério sul com 10 h < α(J2000) < −17 h e −65◦ < δ(J2000) < −35◦. Em 9 objetos ópticos, com valores de distância discrepantes ou sem nenhuma determinação anterior publicada, visamos identificar as fontes ionizantes e determinar suas distâncias, enquanto que, no estudo de dois outros objetos no infravermelho, buscamos não apenas identificar as fontes ionizantes, mas também objetos estelares jovens (YSOs) em seus campos. Nos primeiros, realizamos espectroscopia no óptico e fotometria UBV de seus conteúdos estelares e determinamos as distâncias das estrelas massivas por meio da paralaxe espectroscópica. A fim de evitar o uso de um valor fixo para a razão entre a extinção total e a seletiva à banda V , RV , a extinção AV na direção de cada estrela foi determinada diretamente através no método das diferenças de cor. De um total de 31 estrelas espectroscopicamente estudas, 24 foram classificadas como tipos O ou B, sendo duas novas estrelas tipo O encontradas em RCW98 e RCW99. As estimativas de AV implicaram um valor médio de hRV i = 3.44. Este resultado supera em 10% o valor médio encontrado para estrelas de campo sobre todas as direções da Galáxia. Para as regiões Hii NGC3503, NGC6334, RCW55, RCW87, RCW98 e RCW99, distâncias mais precisas foram estimadas como o valor mediano da paralaxe espectroscópica de 2 a 6 diferentes estrelas ionizantes, resultando em uma dispersão interna menor que 5%. Dentre os objetos mais obscurecidos pela extinção interestelar da região de Norma, analisamos o conte´udo estelar da região leste do grande complexo de regiões Hii brilhantes em radiofrequências GAL331.5-00.1. A área estudada engloba os aglomerados infravermelhos [DBS2003] 156 e [DBS2003] 157, respectivamente associados às regiões Hii GAL331.11-00.51 e GAL331.31-00.34. Observações fotométricas nas bandas J, H e Ks, com mais alta resolução que a fotometria 2MASS, foram realizadas nas direções desses objetos, o que possibilitou isolar as fontes infravermelhas mais brilhantes de estrelas companheiras não resolvidas e selecionar potenciais estrelas ionizantes para subsequente espectroscopia. 47 fontes com excesso de emissão intrínseca na banda Ks, típico em YSOs, foram identificadas seguindo os métodos usuais de análise da fotometria no IR próximo (NIR). Outros 70 YSOs foram identificados no IR médio (Mid-IR) usando dados do survey GLIMPSE. A pesquisa por medidas de velocidade radial na direção desses dois objetos e a semelhança das populações estelares indicou que as duas sub-regiões estudas deveriam estar fisicamente associadas. Esta hipótese foi reafirmada com a determinação da paralaxe espectroscópica de 4 estrelas tipo O e outras 2 tipo B nos dois aglomerados, que retornaram valores de distâncias heliocêntricas bastante compatíveis (hdhelioci = 3.30 ± 0.29 kpc). A contrapartida nos NIR e Mid-IR da fonte IRAS 16085-5138 foi encontrada junto ao aglomerado [DBS2003] 157. Esta fonte apresentou cores típicas de uma região Hii Ultracompacta (UCHii) e índice espectral entre 2 e 25 μm de α = 3.6, típico de YSO imerso em um envelope protoestelar. Um limite inferior para a luminosidade bolométrica da protoestrela embebida foi estimado em L = 7.7×103L⊙ (M = 10M⊙), o que corresponde a uma estrela de idade zero na faixa de BO-B1. O aglomerado [DBS2003] 157 mostrou-se estar espalhado sobre toda uma região de ∼4′ ×4′, demarcada por intensa emissão de poeira quente e espacialmente distribuída como uma nuvem em forma de concha.

Optical long baseline interferometry was recently established as a technique capable of resolving stars and their circumstellar environments at the milliarcsecond (mas) resolution level. This high-resolution opens an entire new window to the study of astrophysical systems, providing information inaccessible by other techniques. Astrophysical disks are observed in a wide variety of systems, from galaxies up to planetary rings, commonly sharing similar physical processes. Two particular disk like systems are studied in the thesis: (i) B He-rich stars that exhibits magnetic fields in order of kG and that trap their winds in structures called magnetospheres; and (ii) Be stars, fast rotating stars that create circumstellar viscous disks. This study uses the interferometric technique to investigate both the photosphere proper and the circumstellar environment of these stars. The objective is to combine interferometry with other observational techniques (such as spectroscopy and polarimetry) to perform a complete and well-constrained physical description of these systems. This description is accompanied by radiative transfer models performed by the HDUST code. / Interferometria óptica de longa linha de base recentemente estabeleceu-se como uma técnica capaz de resolver estrelas e seus ambientes circunstelares no nível de mili segundos de arcos (\\textit). Esta alta resolução abre uma janela inteiramente nova para o estudo de sistemas astrofísicos, fornecendo informações inacessíveis por outras técnicas. Discos astrofísicos são observados numa ampla variedade de sistemas, de galáxias à discos planetários, em geral compartilhando de processos físicos similares. Dois sistemas de discos foram estudados nesta tese: (i) o estrelas B ricas em He e que possuem campos magnéticos da ordem de kG e que confinam seus ventos em estruturas chamadas magnetosferas; e (ii) estrelas Be, estrelas de rotação rápida que criam um disco circumstelar viscoso. Este estudo usa a técnica interferométrica para investigar ambas a própria fotosfera e o ambiente circunstelar destas estrelas. O objetivo é combinar a interferometria com outras técnicas observacionais (tal como espectroscopia e polarimetria) para realizar uma descrição física completa e precisa destes sistemas. Esta descrição é acompanhada por modelos de transferência radiativa executados pelo código HDUST.