A dearth of short-period massive binaries in the young massive star forming region M17: Evidence for a large orbital separation at birth?

The formation of massive stars remains poorly understood and little is known about their birth multiplicity properties. Here, we investigate the strikingly low radial-velocity dispersion measured for a sample of 11 massive pre- and near-main-sequence stars (sigma_rv = 5.6 +/- 0.2 km/s) in the young massive star forming region M17 to obtain first constraints on the multiplicity properties of young massive stellar objects. Methods: We compute the RV dispersion of synthetic populations of massive stars for various multiplicity properties and we compare the simulated sigma_rv distributions to the observed value. We specifically investigate two scenarios: a low binary fraction and a dearth of short-period binary systems. Results: Simulated populations with low binary fractions (f_bin = 0.12_{-0.09}^{+0.16}) or with truncated period distributions (P_cutoff > 9 months) are able to reproduce the low sigma_rv observed within their 68%-confidence intervals. Parent populations with f_bin > 0.42 or P_cutoff < 47 d can however be rejected at the 5%-significance level. Both constraints are contrast with the high binary fraction and plethora of short-period systems found in few Myr-old, OB-type populations. To explain the difference, the first scenario requires a variation of the outcome of the massive star formation process. In the the second scenario, compact binaries must form later on, and the cut-off period may be related to physical length-scales representative of the bloated pre-main-sequence stellar radii or of their accretion disks. Conclusions: If the obtained constraints are representative of the overall properties of massive young stellar objects, our results may provide support to a formation process in which binaries are initially formed at larger separations, then harden or migrate to produce the typical (untruncated) power-law period distribution observed in few Myr-old OB binaries.Comment: 5 pages; Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letter