Mass loss and the evolution of massive stars

We present the results of mass-loss predictions for hot stars. Mass loss is an important aspect for the evolution of massive stars, the rotational properties of the progenitors of gamma-ray bursts, and is essential in assessing whether the most massive stars explode as pair-instability supernovae, or avoid them due to mass loss. As a result, the rate of mass loss is critical for our understanding of the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium. Of topical interest is the question whether luminous blue variables are the progenitors of supernovae. Although there is a growing body of evidence to suggest this, it remains as yet unexplained by modern stellar evolution models. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.