Wolf-Rayet Stars: Binaries, Colliding Winds, Evolution - Proceedings of the 163rd Symposium of the International Astronomical Union Held in La Biodola, Elba, Italy, May 2-6, 1994

In this symposium on Wolf-Rayet stars, binary aspects received ample attention, notably because of the recognition that many observations of spectral and photometric variability at all accessible wavelengths are related to colliding winds or other forms of wind interaction. The basic structure of the conference and its proceedings is: basic parameters and general properties of WR stars; state of the art model atmospheres for WR stars, anisotropic mass loss and disk formation of WR stars, properties of WR binaries; influence of stellar winds on mass transfer in hot massive binary evolution; dust formation near WR stars and other circumstellar phenomena; and hydrodynamics and high-energy physics of colliding winds in WR+O binaries and of WR winds interacting with compact objects. Within this framework 20 invited reviews, 38 invited oral contributions, and 76 poster papers were presented at the Symposium, entertaining 111 astronomers from 24 countries. These proceedings provide up-to-date information on all aspects of Wolf-Rayet atmospheres, binaries, and colliding winds.