Numerical models for the circumstellar medium around Betelgeuse
  The nearby red supergiant (RSG) Betelgeuse has a complex circumstellar medium
out to at least 0.5 parsecs from its surface, shaped by its mass-loss history
within the past 0.1 Myr, its environment, and its motion through the
interstellar medium (ISM). In principle its mass-loss history can be
constrained by comparing hydrodynamic models with observations. Observations
and numerical simulations indicate that Betelgeuse has a very young bow shock,
hence the star may have only recently become a RSG. To test this possibility we
calculated a stellar evolution model for a single star with properties
consistent with Betelgeuse. We incorporated the resulting evolving stellar wind
into 2D hydrodynamic simulations to model a runaway blue supergiant (BSG)
undergoing the transition to a RSG near the end of its life. The collapsing BSG
wind bubble induces a bow shock-shaped inner shell which at least superficially
resembles Betelgeuse's bow shock, and has a similar mass. Surrounding this is
the larger-scale retreating bow shock generated by the now defunct BSG wind's
interaction with the ISM. We investigate whether this outer shell could explain
the bar feature located (at least in projection) just in front of Betelgeuse's
bow shock.
