Massive young stellar objects in the N66/NGC346 region of the SMC

We present HK spectra of three sources located in the N66 region of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The sources display prominent stellar Br Gamma and extended H2 emission, and exhibit infrared excesses at lambda > 2 micron. Based on their spectral features, and photometric spectral energy distributions, we suggest that these sources are massive young stellar objects (mYSOs). The findings are interpreted as evidence of on-going high mass star formation in N66.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysics Journal, acceptance date 21/03/2018 (includes 12 pages, 5 figures

MONOS: Multiplicity Of Northern O-type Spectroscopic systems - II. Orbit review and analysis for 35 single-lined spectroscopic binary systems and candidates

Context. Massive stars are a key element for understanding the chemical and dynamical evolution of galaxies. Stellar evolution is conditioned by many factors: Rotation, mass loss, and interaction with other objects are the most important ones for massive stars. During the first evolutionary stages of stars with initial masses (i.e., MZAMS) in the MZAMS ∼ 18–70  M⊙ range, they are of spectral type O. Given that stars in this mass range spend roughly 90% of their lifetime as O-type stars, establishing the multiplicity frequency and binary properties of O-type stars is crucial for many fields of modern astrophysics. Aims. The aim of the MONOS project is to collect information to study northern Galactic O-type spectroscopic binaries. In this second paper, we tackle the study of the 35 single-line spectroscopic binary (SB1) systems identified in the previous paper of the series, analyze our data, and review the literature on the orbits of the systems. Methods. We have measured ∼4500 radial velocities for a selection of diagnostic lines for the ∼700 spectra of the studied systems in our database, for which we have used two different methods: a Gaussian fit for several lines per object and cross-correlation with synthetic spectra computed with the FASTWIND stellar atmospheric code. We have also explored the photometric data delivered by the TESS mission to analyze the light curve (LC) of the systems, extracting 31 of them. We have explored the possible periods with the Lomb-Scargle method and, whenever possible, calculated the orbital solutions using the SBOP and GBART codes. For those systems in which an improved solution was possible, we merged our radial velocities with those in the literature and calculated a combined solution. Results. As a result of this work, of the 35 SB1 systems identified in our first paper we have confirmed 21 systems as SB1 with good orbits, discarded the binary nature of six stars (9 Sge, HD 192 281, HDE 229 232 AB, 68 Cyg, HD 108, and α Cam), and left six stars as inconclusive due to a lack of data. The remaining two stars are 15 Mon Aa, which has been classified as SB2, and Cyg OB2-22 C, for which we find evidence that it is most likely a triple system where the O star is orbiting an eclipsing SB1. We have also recalculated 20 new orbital solutions, including the first spectroscopic orbital solution for V747 Cep. For Cyg OB2-22 C, we have obtained new ephemerides but no new orbit.E.T.P., I.N.D. and S.S.D. acknowledge support from the Spanish Government Ministerio de Ciencia through grant AYA2015-68 012-C2-1/2-P. E.T.P. and J.M.A. acknowledge support from the Spanish Government Ministerio de Ciencia through grants AYA2016-75 931-C2-2-P and PGC2018-095 049-B-C22. R.H.B. acknowledges support from the ESAC Faculty Council Visitor Program and ANID FONDECYT Project 1211903. G.H. acknowledges support from the Spanish Government Ministerio de Ciencia through grant PGC2018-95049-B-CC22 and ESA Contract No. 4000-126507/19/ES/CM. This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, operated at CDS (Strasbourg, France), NASA’s Astrophysics Data System Bibliographic Services and the Python programming language (Python Software Foundation), Lightkurve, a Python package for Kepler and TESS data analysis (Lightkurve Collaboration 2018)

Lucky spectroscopy, an equivalent technique to lucky imaging. II. Spatially resolved intermediate-resolution blue-violet spectroscopy of 19 close massive binaries using the William Herschel Telescope

Context. Many massive stars have nearby companions. These hamper a characterization of massive stars through spectroscopy. Aims. We continue to obtain spatially resolved spectroscopy of close massive visual binaries to derive their spectral types. Methods. We used the lucky spectroscopy technique to obtain a large number of short long-slit spectroscopic exposures of 19 close visual binaries under good seeing conditions. We selected those with the best characteristics, extracted the spectra using multiple-profile fitting, and combined the results to derive spatially separated spectra. The results were analyzed in combination with data from lucky imaging, regular intermediate-resolution single-order spectroscopy, and échelle high-resolution spectroscopy. Results. The new application of lucky spectroscopy has allowed us (among other results) to [a] spatially disentangle two O stars (FN CMa B and 6 Cas B) with brighter BA supergiant companions for the first time; [b] determine that two B stars (α Sco B and HD 164 492 B) with close and more massive companions are fast rotators (in the second case, solving a case of mistaken identity); [c] extend the technique to cases with extreme magnitude differences (the previous two cases plus CS Cam A,B), shorter separations (HD 193 443 A,B), and fainter primary magnitudes down to B = 11 (HD 219 460 A,B); [d] spatially disentangle the spectra of stars with companions as diverse as an A supergiant (6 Cas A), a Wolf-Rayet star (HD 219 460 B = WR 157), and an M supergiant (α Sco A); [e] discover the unexpected identity of some targets such as two previously unknown bright O stars (HD 51 756 B and BD +60 544) and a new member of the rare OC category (HD 8768 A); and [f] identify and classify (in some cases for the first time) which of the components of four visual binaries (σ Ori, HD 219 460, HD 194 649, and HD 191 201) is a double-lined spectroscopic binary. For another seven systems (FN CMa, σ Sco, HD 51 756, HD 218 195, HD 17 520, HD 24 431, and HD 164 492), we detect signs of spectroscopic binarity using high-spectral-resolution spectroscopy. We also determine the limits of the technique.J.M.A., C.F., A.S., M.P.G., and G.H. acknowledge support from the Spanish Government Ministerio de Ciencia through grant PGC2018-095049-B-C22. R.H.B. acknowledges support from the ESAC Faculty Visitor Program. I.N. and S.S.-D. acknowledge support from the Spanish Government Ministerio de Ciencia through grant PGC2018-093741-B-C21/22 (MICIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). S.S.-D. also acknowledges funding from the Spanish Government Ministerio de Ciencia through grants SEV 2015-0548 and CEX2019-000920-S, and from the Canarian Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), of the Canary Islands Government, and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), under grant with reference ProID2017010115

The first orbital solution for the massive colliding-wind binary HD 93162 (≡WR 25)

Context. Since the discovery, with the EINSTEIN satellite, of strong X-ray emission associated with HD 93162 (≡WR 25), this object has been predicted to be a colliding-wind binary system. However, radial-velocity variations that would prove the suspected binary nature have yet to be found. Aims. We spectroscopically monitored this object to investigate its possible variability to address this discordance. Methods. We compiled the largest available radial-velocity data set for this star to look for variations that might be due to binary motion. We derived radial velocities from spectroscopic data acquired mainly between 1994 and 2006, and searched these radial velocities for periodicities using different numerical methods. Results. For the first time, periodic radial-velocity variations are detected. Our analysis definitively shows that the Wolf-Rayet star WR 25 is an eccentric binary system with a probable period of about 208 days.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

The first orbital solution for the massive colliding-wind binary HD 93162 (≡WR 25)

Context. Since the discovery, with the EINSTEIN satellite, of strong X-ray emission associated with HD 93162 (≡WR 25), this object has been predicted to be a colliding-wind binary system. However, radial-velocity variations that would prove the suspected binary nature have yet to be found. Aims. We spectroscopically monitored this object to investigate its possible variability to address this discordance. Methods. We compiled the largest available radial-velocity data set for this star to look for variations that might be due to binary motion. We derived radial velocities from spectroscopic data acquired mainly between 1994 and 2006, and searched these radial velocities for periodicities using different numerical methods. Results. For the first time, periodic radial-velocity variations are detected. Our analysis definitively shows that the Wolf-Rayet star WR 25 is an eccentric binary system with a probable period of about 208 days.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Spectroscopic study of the N159/N160 complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present a spectroscopic study of the N159/N160 massive-star forming region south of 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud, classifying a total of 189 stars in the field of the complex. Most of them belong to O and early B spectral classes; we have also found some uncommon and very interesting spectra, including members of the Onfp class, a Be P Cygni star, and some possible multiple systems. Using spectral types as broad indicators of evolutionary stages, we considered the evolutionary status of the region as a whole. We infer that massive stars at different evolutionary stages are present throughout the region, favoring the idea of a common time for the origin of recent star formation in the N159/N160 complex as a whole, while sequential star formation at different rates is probably present in several subregions.Comment: 36 pages, 24 figures (127 spectra mostly OB stars, 4 field images). Published in The Astronomical Journa