Zeta Pup: Chandra X-ray Emission Line Variability

We present the results of a time variability study using the recently acquired HETG Chandra spectra of the early O star zeta Pup, an extremely deep cumulative exposure of 840 ks. This legacy data set is one of the highest S/N high resolution X-ray spectra of a massive star ever acquired. The major emission lines of S XV, Si XIV, Si XIII, Mg XII, Mg XI, Ne X, and Ne IX were examined in short time-resolved spectra derived from the large dataset. An array of statistical studies was used to quantify the possibility of variability for these lines in both flux, line centroid, and line width. The analysis also includes period searches and line profile comparisons. The implication of the variability identified by this work for the structure and X-ray production in massive stellar winds is discussed.