Mean age gradient and asymmetry in the star formation history of the Small Magellanic Cloud

We derive the star formation history in four regions of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using the deepest VI color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) ever obtained for this galaxy. The images were obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the Hubble Space Telescope and are located at projected distances of 0.5-2 degrees from the SMC center, probing the main body and the wing of the galaxy. We derived the star-formation histories (SFH) of the four fields using two independent procedures to fit synthetic CMDs to the data. We compare the SFHs derived here with our earlier results for the SMC bar to create a deep pencil-beam survey of the global history of the central SMC. We find in all the six fields observed with HST a slow star formation pace from 13 to 5-7 Gyr ago, followed by a ~ 2-3 times higher activity. This is remarkable because dynamical models do not predict a strong influence of either the LMC or the Milky Way (MW) at that time. The level of the intermediate-age SFR enhancement systematically increases towards the center, resulting in a gradient in the mean age of the population, with the bar fields being systematically younger than the outer ones. Star formation over the most recent 500 Myr is strongly concentrated in the bar, the only exception being the area of the SMC wing. The strong current activity of the latter is likely driven by interaction with the LMC. At a given age, there is no significant difference in metallicity between the inner and outer fields, implying that metals are well mixed throughout the SMC. The age-metallicity relations we infer from our best fitting models are monotonically increasing with time, with no evidence of dips. This may argue against the major merger scenario proposed by Tsujimoto and Bekki 2009, although a minor merger cannot be ruled out.Comment: 30 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

A High-Resolution Multiband Survey of Westerlund 2 With the Hubble Space Telescope I: Is the Massive Star Cluster Double?

We present first results from a high resolution multi-band survey of the Westerlund 2 region with the Hubble Space Telescope. Specifically, we imaged Westerlund 2 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys through the $F555W$, $F814W$, and $F658N$ filters and with the Wide Field Camera 3 in the $F125W$, $F160W$, and $F128N$ filters. We derive the first high resolution pixel-to-pixel map of the color excess $E(B-V)_g$ of the gas associated with the cluster, combining the H$\alpha$ ($F658N$) and Pa$\beta$ ($F128N$) line observations. We demonstrate that, as expected, the region is affected by significant differential reddening with a median of $E(B-V)_g=1.87$~mag. After separating the populations of cluster members and foreground contaminants using a $(F814W-F160W)$ vs. $F814W$ color-magnitude diagram, we identify a pronounced pre-main-sequence population in Westerlund 2 showing a distinct turn-on. After dereddening each star of Westerlund 2 individually in the color-magnitude diagram we find via over-plotting PARSEC isochrones that the distance is in good agreement with the literature value of $\sim4.16 \pm 0.33$~kpc. With zero-age-main-sequence fitting to two-color-diagrams, we derive a value of total to selective extinction of $R_V=3.95 \pm 0.135$. A spatial density map of the stellar content reveals that the cluster might be composed of two clumps. We estimate the same age of 0.5-2.0 Myr for both clumps. While the two clumps appear to be coeval, the northern clump shows a $\sim 20 \%$ lower stellar surface density.Comment: 24 pages, 27 figures, 7 tables; Accepted for publication to The Astronomical Journa

On the Structure and Kinematics of Nebulae around LBVs and LBV Candidates in the LMC

We present a detailed analysis of the morphology and kinematics of nebulae around LBVs and LBV candidates in the Large Magellanic Cloud. HST images and high-resolution Echelle Spectra were used to determine the size, shape, brightness, and expansion velocities of the LBV nebulae around R127, R143, and S61. For S Dor, R71, R99, and R84 we discuss the possible presence of nebular emission, and derive upper limits for the size and lower limits on the expansion velocities of possible nebulae. Including earlier results for the LBV candidates S119 and SK-69 279 we find that in general the nebulae around LBVs in the LMC are comparable in size to those found in the Milky Way. The expansion velocities of the LMC nebulae, however, are significantly lower--by about a factor of 3 to 4--than those of galactic nebulae of comparable size. Galactic and LMC nebulae show about the same diversity of morphologies, but only in the LMC do we find nebulae with outflow. Bipolarity--at least to some degree--is found in nebulae in the LMC as well as in the Milky Way, and manifests a much more general feature among LBV nebulae than previously known.Comment: paper accepted by A&A, 25 pages, 24 figures; paper with images in full resolution available at http://www.astro.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/kweis/publications.htm

The massive star population of the Virgo Cluster galaxy NGC 4535

We analyzed the massive star population of the Virgo Cluster galaxy NGC 4535 using archival Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 images in filters F555W and F814W, equivalent to Johnson V and Kron-Cousins I. We performed high precision point spread function fitting photometry of 24353 sources including 3762 candidate blue supergiants, 841 candidate yellow supergiants and 370 candidate red supergiants. We estimated the ratio of blue to red supergiants as a decreasing function of galactocentric radius. Using Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics isochrones at solar metallicity, we defined the luminosity function and estimated the star formation history of the galaxy over the last 60 Myrs. We conducted a variability search in the V and I filters using three variability indexes: the median absolute deviation, the interquartile range and the inverse von-Neumann ratio. This analysis yielded 120 new variable candidates with absolute magnitudes ranging from M$_{V}$ = $-$4 to $-$11 mag. We used the MESA evolutionary tracks at solar metallicity, to classify the variables based on their absolute magnitude and their position on the color-magnitude diagram. Among the new candidate variable sources are eight candidate variable red supergiants, three candidate variable yellow supergiants and one candidate luminous blue variable, which we suggest for follow-up observations.Comment: Accepted by A&A, 7 pages, 7 Tables, 53 figure

An outflow from the nebula around the LBV candidate S 119

We present an analysis of the kinematic and morphological structure of the nebula around the LMC LBV candidate S 119. On HST images, we find a predominantly spherical nebula which, however, seems to be much better confined in its eastern hemisphere than in the western one. The filamentary western part of the nebula is indicative of matter flowing out of the nebula's main body. This outflow is even more evidenced by our long-slit echelle spectra. They show that, while most of the nebula has an expansion velocity of 25.5 km/s, the outflowing material reaches velocities of almost 140 km/s, relative to the systemic one. A ROSAT HRI image shows no trace of S 119 and thus no indications of hot or shocked material.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Accepted in A&A, paper with images in full resolution at http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/staff/kweis/publications.htm

Star Formation History in two fields of the Small Magellanic Cloud Bar

The Bar is the most productive region of the Small Magellanic Cloud in terms of star formation but also the least studied one. In this paper we investigate the star formation history of two fields located in the SW and in the NE portion of the Bar using two independent and well tested procedures applied to the color-magnitude diagrams of their stellar populations resolved by means of deep HST photometry. We find that the Bar experienced a negligible star formation activity in the first few Gyr, followed by a dramatic enhancement from 6 to 4 Gyr ago and a nearly constant activity since then. The two examined fields differ both in the rate of star formation and in the ratio of recent over past activity, but share the very low level of initial activity and its sudden increase around 5 Gyr ago. The striking similarity between the timing of the enhancement and the timing of the major episode in the Large Magellanic Cloud is suggestive of a close encounter triggering star formation.Comment: 30 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

SN2002kg -- the brightening of LBV V37 in NGC 2403

SN2002kg is a type IIn supernova, detected in October 2002 in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2403. We show that the position of SN2002kg agrees within the errors with the position of the LBV V37. Ground based and HST ACS images however show that V37 is still present after the SN2002kg event. We compiled a lightcurve of V37 which underlines the variablity of the object, and shows that SN2002kg was the brightening of V37 and not a supernova. The recent brightening is not a giant eruption, but more likely part of an S Dor phase. V37 shows strong Halpha +[NII] emission in recent images and in the SN2002kg spectrum, which we interprete as the signature of the presence of an LBV nebula. A historic spectrum lacks emission, which may hint that we are witnessing the formation of an LBV nebula.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted in A&A Letter, paper with images in full resolution at http://www.astro.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/kweis/publications.htm