Blue Stragglers Research Articles

The “dynamical clock”: dating the internal dynamical evolution of star clusters with Blue Straggler Stars

We discuss the observational properties of a special class of objects (the so-called "Blue Straggler Stars", BSSs) in the framework of using this stellar population as probe of the dynamical processes occurring in high-density stellar systems. Indeed, the shape of the BSS radial distribution and their level of central concentration are powerful tracers of the stage of dynamical evolution reached by the host cluster since formation. Hence, they can be used as empirical chronometers able to measure the dynamical age of stellar systems. In addition, the presence of a double BSS sequence in the color-magnitude diagram is likely the signature of the most extreme dynamical process occurring in globular cluster life: the core collapse event. Such a feature can therefore be used to reveal the occurrence of this process and, for the first time, even date it.

Open Cluster IC 1369 and Its Vicinity: Multicolor Photometry and Gaia DR2 Astrometry

Abstract The open cluster IC 1369, located in Cygnus close to the galactic equator at the 89.°6 longitude, and its vicinity are investigated by applying two-dimensional photometric classification of stars down to V = 19 mag measured in the Vilnius seven-color photometric system. Employing the Gaia DR2 coordinates, parallaxes, and proper motions, 143 cluster members are found having cluster membership probabilities ≥0.75. The hottest stars of the evolved main sequence are of spectral class B9. Distances to the cluster, determined by two methods based on the Gaia parallaxes, are 3280 and 3370 pc with an uncertainty of 400–500 pc. Employing the physical HR diagram with the coordinates versus and the Padova isochrones, the cluster age is found to be between 300 and 350 Myr. Among the cluster members we identified six red giants of spectral classes G5–G8 and luminosities II–III, 17 Am stars, one Ap star, and one B5 blue straggler. The extinction shows a steep rise up to ∼2.0 mag at 300–700 pc, caused by the extensions of the dust cloud LDN 970 and the Great Cygnus Rift, and up to ∼2.5 mag at the edge of the Perseus arm at 3.0 kpc. The extinction is almost constant between 0.9 and 2.5 kpc from the Sun. The average extinction of the cluster members is 2.54 mag. A systematic error of color excesses found in the Argonaut calculator results is discussed.

5D memberships and fundamental properties of the old open cluster NGC 6791 based on $\mathit{Gaia}$-DR2

This paper investigates reliable memberships and fundamental astrophysical properties of the old (∼8 Gyr) open cluster NGC 6791 using the astrometric and photometric data of the Gaia data release 2 ($\mathit{Gaia}$-DR2). We identify 2536 likely cluster members (≥0.6) in a five-dimensional (5D) parameter space using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) clustering method. Based on these reliable 5D cluster members, we determine the core and tidal radii of the cluster to be $R_{c}=3.69^{\prime } \pm 0.23^{\prime }$ and $R_{t}= 16.96^{\prime } \pm 2.29^{\prime }$, respectively. We find evidence for the presence of mass segregation in the cluster. Among the likely cluster members, we identify six blue subdwarfs, 43 blue stragglers, and 27 red clump giants. We find that 34 blue stragglers (∼79%) lie within the core radius (${<}3.69^{\prime }$) of the cluster, indicating that these stars may be formed by star collisions or by the evolution of primordial binaries within the dense core. The 27 red clump giants are used to accurately estimate the distance of the cluster. We determine a distance of 4118 ± 23 pc for the cluster using a Monte-Carlo simulation method. We confirm the presence of a significant zero-point offset (${\sim}\, {-}0.055 \pm 0.004$ mas) in the $\mathit{Gaia}$ parallaxes of the cluster members. Using the same simulation method, the mean proper motion and radial velocity of the cluster are found to be ($\langle \mu _{\alpha }\cos \delta \rangle , \langle \mu _{\delta }\rangle )= (-0.434\pm 0.008,-2.266\pm 0.010)$ mas/yr and $\langle V_{r} \rangle =-46.7\pm 0.6$ km/s, respectively.

A Study of the Blue Straggler Population of the Old Open Cluster Collinder 261

Abstract Blue stragglers (BSs) are stars located in an unexpected region of the color–magnitude diagram (CMD) of a stellar population, as they appear bluer and more luminous than the stars in the turn-off region. They are ubiquitous, since they have been found among Milky Way field stars, in open and globular clusters, and also in other galaxies of the Local Group. Here we present a study on the BS population of the old and metal-rich open cluster Collinder 261, based on Gaia DR2 data and on a multi-epoch radial velocity survey conducted with Fibre Large Array Multi Element Spectrograph (FLAMES) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We also analyze the radial distribution of the BS population to probe the dynamical status of the cluster. BS candidates were identified first with Gaia DR2, according to their position on the CMD, proper motions, and parallaxes. Their radial distribution was compared with those of main sequence, red giant, and red clump stars, to evaluate mass segregation. Additionally, their radial velocities (and the associated uncertainties) were compared with the mean radial velocity and velocity dispersion of the cluster. When possible, close binaries and long-period binaries were also identified, based on the radial velocity variations for the different epochs. We also looked for yellow stragglers, i.e., possible evolved BSs. We found 53 BS members of Collinder 261, six of them were already identified in previous catalogs. Among the BS candidates with radial velocity measurements, we found one long-period binary, five close-binary systems, three nonvariable stars; we also identified one yellow straggler.

Chemical Abundances along the 1G Sequence of the Chromosome Maps: The Globular Cluster NGC 3201*

Abstract The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters (GCs) has investigated multiple stellar populations by means of the “chromosome map” (ChM) diagnostic tool that maximizes the separation between stars with different chemical compositions. One of the most challenging features revealed by ChM analysis is the apparent inhomogeneity among stars belonging to the first population, a phenomenon largely attributed to He variations. However, this explanation is not supported by uniformity in the p-capture elements of these stars. The HST survey has revealed that the GC NGC 3201 shows exceptionally wide coverage in the parameter of the ChM. We present a chemical abundance analysis of 24 elements in 18 giants belonging to the first population of this GC and having a wide range in . As far as the p-capture elements are concerned, the chemical abundances are typical of first-generation (1G) stars, as expected from the location of our targets in the ChM. Based on radial velocities and chemical abundance arguments, we find that the three stars with the lowest values are binary candidates. This suggests that at least those stars could be explained with binarity. These results are consistent with evidence inferred from multiband photometry that evolved blue stragglers (BSs) populate the bluest part of the 1G sequence in the ChM. The remaining 15 spectroscopic targets show a small range in the overall metallicity by ∼0.10 dex, with stars at higher values having higher absolute abundances. We suggest that a small variation in metals and binarity governs the color spread of the 1G in the ChM and that evolved BSs contribute to the bluest tail of the 1G sequence.

Super Metal-rich Stars in the LAMOST Survey: A Test on Radial Migration

Abstract Super metal-rich stars with [Fe/H] &gt; 0.4 are selected from LAMOST DR6, and two groups, the blue and the red, are found in the T eff versus logg diagram with a temperature gap between them. In combination with Gaia DR2, stellar positions, velocities, and orbits are calculated, and spatial distributions, kinematical properties, and orbital parameters are compared between the two groups. The blue group shows mainly thin-disk kinematics and spans a wide R range of 6–12 kpc, while the red group has both the thin-disk and the thick-disk kinematics with a narrower range of R = 6–10 kpc. The kinematical and orbital parameters of stars in the blue group indicate that they could belong to the young population with age less than 1 Gyr, rather than blue stragglers of the old population. The orbital parameters, R p , R a , and R g , of the red group with the thick-disk kinematics are smaller than those with the thin-disk kinematics. The distributions of birth radius and migration distance indicate that radial migration is a favorable origin for the red group, especially those with the thick-disk kinematics, but not for the blue group. The relative magnitude of radial migration is of 51% for the whole sample and of 64% for the red group only. The corotation radial migration caused by the bars and spiral arms at resonances is the most likely mechanism for explaining these properties of SMR stars in this work.

A stellar census in globular clusters with MUSE: Binaries in NGC 3201

We utilise multi-epoch MUSE spectroscopy to study binary stars in the core of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 3201. Our sample consists of 3553 stars with 54 883 spectra in total comprising 3200 main-sequence stars up to 4 magnitudes below the turn-off. Each star in our sample has between 3 and 63 (with a median of 14) reliable radial velocity measurements within five years of observations. We introduce a statistical method to determine the probability of a star showing radial velocity variations based on the whole inhomogeneous radial velocity sample. Using HST photometry and an advanced dynamical MOCCA simulation of this specific cluster we overcome observational biases that previous spectroscopic studies had to deal with. This allows us to infer a binary frequency in the MUSE field of view and enables us to deduce the underlying true binary frequency of (6.75 ± 0.72)% in NGC 3201. The comparison of the MUSE observations with the MOCCA simulation suggests a large portion of primordial binaries. We can also confirm a radial increase in the binary fraction towards the cluster centre due to mass segregation. We discovered that in the core of NGC 3201 at least (57.5 ± 7.9)% of blue straggler stars are in a binary system. For the first time in a study of globular clusters, we were able to fit Keplerian orbits to a significant sample of 95 binaries. We present the binary system properties of eleven blue straggler stars and the connection to SX Phoenicis-type stars. We show evidence that two blue straggler formation scenarios, the mass transfer in binary (or triple) star systems and the coalescence due to binary-binary interactions, are present in our data. We also describe the binary and spectroscopic properties of four sub-subgiant (or red straggler) stars. Furthermore, we discovered two new black hole candidates with minimum masses (M sin i) of (7.68 ± 0.50) M⊙, (4.4 ± 2.8) M⊙, and refine the minimum mass estimate on the already published black hole to (4.53 ± 0.21) M⊙. These black holes are consistent with an extensive black hole subsystem hosted by NGC 3201.

UVIT Open Cluster Study. II. Detection of Extremely Low Mass White Dwarfs and Post–Mass Transfer Binaries in M67

Abstract A detailed study of the UV-bright stars in the old open star cluster M67 is presented based on the far-UV observations using the Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on ASTROSAT. The UV and UV–optical color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs), along with overlaid isochrones, are presented for the member stars, which include blue straggler stars (BSSs), triple systems, white dwarfs (WDs), and spectroscopic binaries. The CMDs suggest the presence of excess UV flux in many members, which could be extrinsic or intrinsic to them. We construct multiwavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs) using photometric data from the UVIT, Gaia DR2, Two Micron All Sky Survey, and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer surveys, along with optical photometry. We fitted model SEDs to seven WDs and find that four of them have mass &gt;0.5 M ⊙ and cooling age of less than 200 Myr, thus demanding BSS progenitors. SED fits to 23 stars detect extremely low mass (ELM) WD companions to WOCS2007, WOCS6006, and WOCS2002 and a low-mass WD to WOCS3001, which suggest these to be post–mass transfer (MT) systems. Twelve sources with possible WD companions need further confirmation. Nine sources have X-ray and excess UV flux, possibly arising out of stellar activity. This study demonstrates that UV observations are key to detecting and characterizing the ELM WDs in nondegenerate systems, which are ideal test beds to explore the formation pathways of these peculiar WDs. The increasing detection of post-MT systems among BSSs and main-sequence stars suggests a strong MT pathway and stellar interactions in M67.

A stellar census in globular clusters with MUSE: A spectral catalogue of emission-line sources

Aims. Globular clusters produce many exotic stars due to a much higher frequency of dynamical interactions in their dense stellar environments. Some of these objects were observed together with several hundred thousand other stars in our MUSE survey of 26 Galactic globular clusters. Assuming that at least a few exotic stars have exotic spectra (i.e. spectra that contain emission lines), we can use this large spectroscopic data set of over a million stellar spectra as a blind survey to detect stellar exotica in globular clusters. Methods. To detect emission lines in each spectrum, we modelled the expected shape of an emission line as a Gaussian curve. This template was used for matched filtering on the differences between each observed 1D spectrum and its fitted spectral model. The spectra with the most significant detections of Hα emission are checked visually and cross-matched with published catalogues. Results. We find 156 stars with Hα emission, including several known cataclysmic variables (CV) and two new CVs, pulsating variable stars, eclipsing binary stars, the optical counterpart of a known black hole, several probable sub-subgiants and red stragglers, and 21 background emission-line galaxies. We find possible optical counterparts to 39 X-ray sources, as we detected Hα emission in several spectra of stars that are close to known positions of Chandra X-ray sources. This spectral catalogue can be used to supplement existing or future X-ray or radio observations with spectra of potential optical counterparts to classify the sources.

Constraining Mass-transfer Histories of Blue Straggler Stars with COS Spectroscopy of White Dwarf Companions

Abstract Recent studies show that the majority of blue straggler stars (BSSs) in old open clusters are formed through mass transfer from an evolved star onto a main-sequence companion, resulting in a BSS and white dwarf (WD) in a binary system. We present constraints on the mass transfer histories of two BSS–WD binaries in the open cluster NGC 188, using WD temperatures and surface gravities measured with Hubble Space Telescope COS far-ultraviolet spectroscopy. Adopting a Gaia-based cluster distance of 1847 ± 107 pc, we determine that one system, WOCS 4540, formed through Case C mass transfer resulting in a CO-core WD with T eff = K and a log g = , corresponding to a mass of M ⊙ and a cooling age of Myr. The other system, WOCS 5379, formed through Case B mass transfer resulting in a He-core WD with T eff = K and a log g = , corresponding to a mass of M ⊙ and an age of Myr. The WD parameters are consistent across four different cluster distance assumptions. We determine possible progenitor binary systems with a grid of accretion models using MESA, and investigate whether these systems would lead to stable or unstable mass transfer. WOCS 4540 likely resulted from stable mass transfer during periastron passage in an eccentric binary system, while WOCS 5379 challenges our current understanding of the expected outcomes for mass transfer from red giant branch stars. Both systems are examples of the value in using detailed analyses to fine-tune our physical understanding of binary evolutionary processes.

The first view of δ Scuti and γ Doradus stars with the TESS mission

ABSTRACT We present the first asteroseismic results for δ Scuti and γ Doradus stars observed in Sectors 1 and 2 of the TESS mission. We utilize the 2-min cadence TESS data for a sample of 117 stars to classify their behaviour regarding variability and place them in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram using Gaia DR2 data. Included within our sample are the eponymous members of two pulsator classes, γ Doradus and SX Phoenicis. Our sample of pulsating intermediate-mass stars observed by TESS also allows us to confront theoretical models of pulsation driving in the classical instability strip for the first time and show that mixing processes in the outer envelope play an important role. We derive an empirical estimate of 74 per cent for the relative amplitude suppression factor as a result of the redder TESS passband compared to the Kepler mission using a pulsating eclipsing binary system. Furthermore, our sample contains many high-frequency pulsators, allowing us to probe the frequency variability of hot young δ Scuti stars, which were lacking in the Kepler mission data set, and identify promising targets for future asteroseismic modelling. The TESS data also allow us to refine the stellar parameters of SX Phoenicis, which is believed to be a blue straggler.

Size diversity of old Large Magellanic Cloud clusters as determined by internal dynamical evolution

The distribution of size as a function of age observed for star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is very puzzling: young clusters are all compact, while the oldest systems show both small and large sizes. It is commonly interpreted as due to a population of binary black holes driving a progressive expansion of cluster cores. Here we propose, instead, that it is the natural consequence of the fact that only relatively low-mass clusters have formed in the last ~3 Gyr in the LMC and only the most compact systems survived and are observable. The spread in size displayed by the oldest (and most massive) clusters, instead, can be explained in terms of initial conditions and internal dynamical evolution. To quantitatively explore the role of the latter, we selected a sample of five coeval and old LMC clusters with different sizes, and we estimated their dynamical age from the level of central segregation of blue straggler stars (the so-called dynamical clock). Similarly to what found in the Milky Way, we indeed measure different levels of dynamical evolution among the selected coeval clusters, with large-core systems being dynamically younger than those with small size. This behaviour is fully consistent with what expected from internal dynamical evolution processes over timescales mainly set by the structure of each system at formation.

UVIT Open Cluster Study. I. Detection of a White Dwarf Companion to a Blue Straggler in M67: Evidence of Formation through Mass Transfer

Abstract The old open cluster M67, populated with blue straggler stars (BSSs), is a well-known test bed to study the BSS formation pathways. Here, we report the first direct detection of a white dwarf (WD) companion to a BSS in M67, using far-UV images from the Ultra-Violet Imaging telescope on ASTROSAT. Near-simultaneous observations in three far-UV bands combined with Galaxy Evolution Explorer, International Ultraviolet Explorer, and ground- and space-based photometric data covering a 0.14–11.5 μm range for WOCS1007 were found to require a binary fit to its spectral energy distribution (SED), consisting of a BSS and a hot companion. On the other hand, a single spectral fit was found to be satisfactory for the SEDs of two other BSSs, WOCS1006 and WOCS2011, with the latter showing a deficient far-UV flux. The hot companion of WOCS1007 is found to have a ∼ 13,250–13,750 K and a radius of 0.09 ± 0.01 . A comparison with WD models suggests it to be a low-mass WD (∼ ), in agreement with the kinematic mass from the literature. As a low-mass WD (&lt; ) necessitates formation through mass transfer in close binaries, WOCS1007 with a known period of 4.2 days along with its fast rotation, is likely to be formed by a case A or case B binary evolution.

Revised Orbital Parameters of Beaming Eclipsing Binary System HV Cnc from Kepler Photometry

High precision photometry gathered from Kepler database and radial velocity measurements of the HV Cnc system found in the literature were simultaneously analyzed by the Wilson-Devinney (WD) code to better understand system parameters. Some physical quantities needed by the WD code in iterations, such as limb darkening coefficients, Kurucz’s model atmospheres, and blackbody approach were considered by using precise transmission curves of each Kepler channel. Therefore, we obtained a set of revised system parameters relative to the previous solution of Gökay et al. (2013) in which the results were based on the photometry of 2MASS archival data. In the present solution, we recognized a low amplitude (ΔmKepler ∼ 0.m001) brightening at the primary quadrature of the light curve. This excess light is modelled by considering a combination of ellipsoidality, reflection, and Doppler beaming effects. Consequently, we propose the system as a new candidate of Doppler beaming binary.According to the absolute parameters of the primary component, we discussed the evolutionary status of the blue straggler component in the system. Furthermore, on the basis of absolute parameters, distance estimation to the system is 827 ± 20 pc which supports that HV Cnc is very likely a member of M67 cluster.

Multiple Components of the Jhelum Stellar Stream

Abstract In simple models of the Milky Way, tidally disrupting satellites produce long and thin—nearly one-dimensional—stellar streams. Using astrometric data from the Gaia second data release and photometry from the Dark Energy Survey, we demonstrate that the Jhelum stream, a stellar stream in the inner halo, is a two-dimensional structure. The spatial distribution of highly probable Jhelum members reveals a dense thin component and an associated diffuse, spatially offset component. These two spatial components have indistinguishable proper motions (at σ ∼ 1 mas yr−1 level) and a similar ratio of blue straggler to blue horizontal branch stars, which indicates a common origin for the two components. The best-fit orbit to the narrow component (pericenter 8 kpc, apocenter 24 kpc), however, does not explain the wide component of the Jhelum stream. On the other hand, an older orbital wrap of Jhelum’s orbit traces the Indus stream, indicating a possible connection between these two structures and additional complexity in Jhelum’s formation. Substructure in the Jhelum progenitor or precession of its tidal debris in the Milky Way potential may explain the observed structure of Jhelum. Future spectroscopic data will enable discrimination between these “nature” and “nurture” formation scenarios. Jhelum adds to the growing list of cold stellar streams that display complex morphologies and promise to reveal the dynamical history of the Milky Way.

Blue Lurkers: Hidden Blue Stragglers on the M67 Main Sequence Identified from Their Kepler/K2 Rotation Periods

Abstract At an age of 4 Gyr, typical solar-type stars in M67 have rotation rates of 20–30 days. Using K2 Campaign 5 and 16 light curves and the spectral archive of the WIYN Open Cluster Study, we identify 11 3D kinematic members of M67 with anomalously fast rotation periods of 2–8 days, implying ages of less than 1 Gyr. We hypothesize that these anomalously fast rotators have been spun up by mass transfer, mergers, or stellar collisions during dynamical encounters within the 1 Gyr and thus represent lower-luminosity counterparts to the blue straggler stars. These 11 candidate post-interaction stellar systems have much in common with the blue stragglers, including a high binary fraction (73%); a number of long-period, low-eccentricity binary systems; and in at least one case a UV excess consistent with the presence of a hot white dwarf companion. The identification of these 11 systems provides the first picture of the low-luminosity end of the blue straggler distribution, providing new constraints for detailed binary evolution models and cluster population studies. This result also clearly demonstrates the need to properly account for the impact of binaries on stellar evolution, as significant numbers of post-interaction binaries likely exist on cluster main sequences and in the field. These stars are not always easy to identify but make up ∼10% or more of the spectroscopic binary population among the solar-type stars in M67.

Secular dynamics of binaries in stellar clusters – II. Dynamical evolution

AbstractDense stellar clusters are natural sites for the origin and evolution of exotic objects such as relativistic binaries (potential gravitational wave sources) and blue stragglers. We investigate the secular dynamics of a binary system driven by the global tidal field of an axisymmetric stellar cluster in which the binary orbits. In a companion paper we developed a general Hamiltonian framework describing such systems. The effective (doubly-averaged) Hamiltonian derived there encapsulates all information about the tidal potential experienced by the binary in its orbit around the cluster in a single parameter Γ. Here we provide a thorough exploration of the phase-space of the corresponding secular problem as Γ is varied. We find that for Γ &gt; 1/5 the phase-space structure and the evolution of binary orbital elements are qualitatively similar to the Lidov–Kozai problem. However, this is only one of four possible regimes, because the dynamics are qualitatively changed by bifurcations at Γ = 1/5, 0, −1/5. We show how the dynamics are altered in each regime and calculate characteristics such as the secular evolution time-scale and maximum possible eccentricity. We verify the predictions of our doubly-averaged formalism numerically and find it to be very accurate when its underlying assumptions are fulfilled, typically meaning that the secular time-scale should exceed the period of the binary around the cluster by ≳10–102 (depending on the cluster potential and binary orbit). Our results may be relevant for understanding the nature of a variety of exotic systems harboured by stellar clusters.

Secular dynamics of binaries in stellar clusters – I. General formulation and dependence on cluster potential

AbstractOrbital evolution of binary systems in dense stellar clusters is important in a variety of contexts: origin of blue stragglers, progenitors of compact object mergers, millisecond pulsars, and so on. Here we consider the general problem of secular evolution of the orbital elements of a binary system driven by the smooth tidal field of an axisymmetric stellar cluster (globular, nuclear, etc.) in which the binary orbits. We derive a secular Hamiltonian (averaged over both the inner Keplerian orbit of the binary and its outer orbit within the cluster) valid to quadrupole order for an arbitrary cluster potential and explore its characteristics. This doubly averaged ‘tidal’ Hamiltonian depends on just two parameters, which fully absorb the information about the background cluster potential and the binary’s orbit within it: a dimensional parameter A setting the secular time-scale, and a dimensionless parameter Γ which determines the phase portrait of the binary’s inner orbital evolution. We examine the dependence of A and Γ on cluster potential (both spherical and axisymmetric) and on the binary orbit within the cluster. Our theory reproduces known secular results – such as Lidov–Kozai evolution and the effect of the Galactic tide on Oort Cloud comets – in appropriate limits, but is more general. It provides a universal framework for understanding dynamical evolution of various types of binaries driven by the smooth tidal field of any axisymmetric potential. In a companion paper we provide a detailed exploration of the resulting orbital dynamics.

Self-lensing Discovery of a 0.2 M⊙ White Dwarf in an Unusually Wide Orbit around a Sun-like Star∗

Abstract We report the discovery of the fifth self-lensing binary in which a low-mass white dwarf (WD) gravitationally magnifies its 15th magnitude G-star companion, KIC 8145411, during eclipses. The system was identified from a pair of such self-lensing events in the Kepler photometry, and was followed up with the Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph (TRES) on the 1.5 m telescope at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory and the High-Dispersion Spectrograph (HDS) on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope. A joint analysis of the TRES radial velocities, the HDS spectrum, and the Kepler photometry of the primary star determines the WD mass 0.20 ± 0.01 M ⊙, orbital semimajor axis 1.28 ± 0.03 au, and orbital eccentricity 0.14 ± 0.02. Because such extremely low-mass WDs cannot be formed in isolation within the age of the Galaxy, their formation is believed to involve binary interactions that truncated evolution of the WD progenitor. However, the observed orbit of the KIC 8145411 system is at least 10 times wider than required for this scenario to work. The presence of this system in the Kepler sample, along with its similarities to field blue straggler binaries presumably containing WDs, may suggest that some 10% of post-asymptotic giant branch binaries with Sun-like primaries contain such anomalous WDs.

Spectral Energy Distribution of Blue Stragglers in the Core of 47 Tucanae

Abstract We have constructed the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of a sample of blue straggler stars (BSSs) in the core of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, taking advantage of the large set of high resolution images, ranging from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared, obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys/High Resolution Channel of the Hubble Space Telescope. Our final BSS sample consists of 22 objects, spanning the whole color and magnitude extension of the BSS sequence in 47 Tucanae. We fitted the BSS broadband SEDs with models to derive temperature, surface gravity, radius, luminosity, and mass. We show that BSSs indeed define a mass sequence, where the mass increases for increasing luminosity. Interestingly, the BSS mass estimates from the SED fitting turn out to be comparable to those derived from the projection of the stellar position in the color–magnitude diagram on standard star evolutionary tracks. We compare our results with previous, direct mass estimates of a few BSSs in 47 Tucanae. We also find a couple of supermassive BSS candidates, i.e., BSSs with masses larger than twice the turn-off mass, the formation of which must have involved more than two progenitors.