Half-title -- Series Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Motivation -- 1.2 Observed properties -- The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram -- Stellar spectroscopy -- Distribution of stars in our Galaxy -- Extragalactic luminous hot stars -- 1.3 Stellar atmospheres -- Astrophysical models -- Composition -- 1.4 Stellar winds -- OB winds -- Wolf-Rayet winds -- LBV and RSG outflows -- 1.5 Evolution of single stars -- Main sequence evolution models -- Post-main sequence evolution -- Star death -- 1.6 Binaries -- Binary fraction -- Massive binaries -- 1.7 Birth of massive stars and star clusters -- Pre-main sequence evolution -- Star clusters -- The initial mass function -- 1.8 The interstellar environment -- Interstellar gas -- Interstellar dust -- Wind blown bubbles -- 1.9 From GHII regions to starburst galaxies -- HII regions -- Giant HII regions -- Galaxies -- 1.10 Starburst phenomena -- 1.11 Cosmological implications -- Population III stars -- Lyman-break galaxies -- Gamma ray bursts -- 2 Observed properties -- 2.1 Apparent and absolute magnitudes -- 2.2 Distances -- 2.3 Massive stars in Local Group galaxies -- Main sequence O and early B stars -- Blue supergiants -- Luminous blue variables -- B[e] supergiants -- Yellow hypergiants -- Red supergiants -- Wolf-Rayet stars -- 2.4 Spectral classi.cation -- O-early B type stars -- A-type and late-B supergiants -- Wolf-Rayet stars -- Transition objects and LBVs -- 2.5 Observations of rotation and magnetic .elds -- 3 Stellar atmospheres -- 3.1 LTE atmospheres -- 3.2 Non-LTE atmospheres -- 3.3 Surface gravities and masses -- 3.4 Surface composition -- 4 Stellar winds -- 4.1 Radiation pressure -- 4.2 Wind velocities -- OB stars -- Bistability jump -- W-R stars -- 4.3 Mass-loss rates -- IR-radio continua -- Optical and IR line profiles.

Multiple scattering -- UV P Cygni profiles -- Red supergiants -- 4.4 Structure and clumping -- Structured winds -- Mass-loss rates - corrected for clumping? -- 4.5 In.uence of stellar rotation -- 5 Evolution of single stars -- 5.1 Nucleosynthesis -- 5.2 Evolution to a red supergiant -- Mixing and convection -- From H to Si burning -- 5.3 Evolution to the Wolf-Rayet stage -- 5.4 Rotation and mass-loss -- 5.5 Magnetic massive stars -- 5.6 Core-collapse supernovae -- Observations of SNe -- Theory of core-collapse SNe -- SN 1987A -- Progenitors of core-collapse supernovae -- Pair-production supernovae -- Neutron stars -- Fate of single massive stars -- 6 Binaries -- 6.1 Massive binary frequency -- 6.2 Binary masses -- 6.3 Close binary evolution -- Runaways and high mass X-ray binaries -- 6.4 Interacting stellar winds -- 6.5 Dust formation in WC stars -- 7 Birth of massive stars and star clusters -- 7.1 Natal precursors of OB stars -- Hot cores -- Hypercompact and ultracompact HII regions -- Stellar content of UCHII regions -- Do UCHII regions host star clusters? -- 7.2 The initial mass function -- Stellar mass function -- Cluster mass function -- 7.3 Formation of high-mass stars -- Competitive accretion versus turbulent core models -- 7.4 Massive stellar clusters -- Newly born clusters -- Young massive clusters -- 8 The interstellar environment -- 8.1 Interstellar dust -- 8.2 Ionized hydrogen regions -- Orion nebula -- Determination of O star content -- 8.3 Wind blown bubbles -- 8.4 Ejecta nebulae around LBVs andW-R stars -- 9 From giant HII regions to HII galaxies -- 9.1 Giant HII regions: definition and structural parameters -- 9.2 30 Doradus - the Rosetta Stone -- 9.3 Stellar population diagnostics -- 9.4 HII galaxies: stellar content and relation to starbursts -- 10 Starburst phenomena -- 10.1 Definition of a starburst -- 10.2 The starburst IMF.

10.3 The evolution of starbursts -- 10.4 Starburst-driven superwinds -- 10.5 The starburst-AGN connection -- 11 Cosmological implications -- 11.1 Population III stars -- 11.2 Lyman-break galaxies -- 11.3 Massive stars and cosmic abundances -- 11.4 Gamma ray bursts -- References -- Acronyms -- Symbols -- Object index -- Subject index.