Sco Cen Research Articles

Peculiarities of Open Star Clusters with High Vertical Velocities from the Region of the Sco–Cen OB Association

Peculiarities of Open Star Clusters with High Vertical Velocities from the Region of the Sco–Cen OB Association

Chronostar – II. Kinematic age and substructure of the Scorpius–Centaurus OB2 association

ABSTRACT The nearest region of massive star formation – the Scorpius–Centaurus OB2 association (Sco–Cen) – is a local laboratory ideally suited to the study of a wide range of astrophysical phenomena. Precision astrometry from the Gaia mission has expanded the census of this region by an order of magnitude. However, Sco–Cen’s vastness and complex substructure make kinematic analysis of its traditional three regions, Upper Scorpius, Upper Centaurus-Lupus, and Lower Centaurus-Crux, challenging. Here, we use chronostar, a Bayesian tool for kinematic age determination, to carry out a new kinematic decomposition of Sco–Cen using full six-dimensional kinematic data. Our model identifies eight kinematically distinct components consisting of 8185 stars distributed in dense and diffuse groups, each with an independently fit kinematic age; we verify that these kinematic estimates are consistent with isochronal ages for K dwarfs. Both Upper Centaurus-Lupus and Lower Centaurus-Crux are split into two parts. The kinematic age of the component that includes PDS 70, one of the most well-studied systems currently forming planets, is 15 ± 3 Myr.

Making BEASTies: dynamical formation of planetary systems around massive stars

ABSTRACT Exoplanets display incredible diversity, from planetary system architectures around Sun-like stars that are very different from our Solar system, to planets orbiting post-main-sequence stars or stellar remnants. Recently, the B-star Exoplanet Abundance STudy (BEAST) reported the discovery of at least two super-Jovian planets orbiting massive stars in the Sco Cen OB association. Whilst such massive stars do have Keplerian discs, it is hard to envisage gas giant planets being able to form in such hostile environments. We use N-body simulations of star-forming regions to show that these systems can instead form from the capture of a free-floating planet or the direct theft of a planet from one star to another, more massive star. We find that this occurs on average once in the first 10 Myr of an association’s evolution, and that the semimajor axes of the hitherto confirmed BEAST planets (290 and 556 au) are more consistent with capture than theft. Our results lend further credence to the notion that planets on more distant (>100 au) orbits may not be orbiting their parent star.

Interplay between Young Stars and Molecular Clouds in the Ophiuchus Star-forming Complex

We present spatial and kinematic correlation between the young stellar population and the cloud clumps in the Ophiuchus star-forming region. The stellar sample consists of known young objects at various evolutionary stages, taken from the literature, some of which are diagnosed with Gaia EDR3 parallax and proper-motion measurements. The molecular gas is traced by the 850 μm Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array-2 image, reaching ∼2.3 mJy beam−1, the deepest so far for the region, stacked from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope/Transient program aiming to detect submillimeter outburst events. Our analysis indicates that the more evolved sources, namely the class II and III young stars, are located further away from clouds than class I and flat-spectrum sources that have ample circumstellar matter and are closely associated with natal clouds. Particularly the class II and III population is found to exhibit a structured spatial distribution indicative of passage of shock fronts from the nearby Sco–Cen OB association thereby compressing clouds to trigger star formation, with the latest starbirth episode occurring now in the densest cloud filaments. The young stars at all evolutionary stages share similar kinematics. This suggests that the stellar patterns trace the relics of parental cloud filaments that now have been dispersed.

The Obliquity of HIP 67522 b: A 17 Myr Old Transiting Hot, Jupiter-sized Planet

Abstract HIP 67522 b is a 17 Myr old, close-in (P orb = 6.96 days), Jupiter-sized (R = 10 R ⊕) transiting planet orbiting a Sun-like star in the Sco–Cen OB association. We present our measurement of the system’s projected orbital obliquity via two spectroscopic transit observations using the CHIRON spectroscopic facility. We present a global model that accounts for large surface brightness features typical of such young stars during spectroscopic transit observations. With a value of ∣ λ ∣ = 5.8 − 5.7 + 2.8 ° it is unlikely that this well-aligned system is the result of a high-eccentricity-driven migration history. By being the youngest planet with a known obliquity, HIP 67522 b holds a special place in contributing to our understanding of giant planet formation and evolution. Our analysis shows the feasibility of such measurements for young and very active stars.

A Near-coplanar Stellar Flyby of the Planet Host Star HD 106906

Abstract We present an investigation into the kinematics of HD 106906 using the newly released Gaia DR2 catalog to search for close encounters with other members of the Scorpius–Centaurus (Sco–Cen) association. HD 106906 is an eccentric spectroscopic binary that hosts both a large asymmetric debris disk extending out to at least 500 au and a directly imaged planetary-mass companion at a projected separation of 738 au. The cause of the asymmetry in the debris disk and the unusually wide separation of the planet is not currently known. Using a combination of Gaia DR2 astrometry and ground-based radial velocities, we explore the hypothesis that a close encounter with another cluster member within the last 15 Myr is responsible for the present configuration of the system. Out of 461 stars analyzed, we identified two candidate perturbers that had a median closest approach distance within 1 pc of HD 106906: HIP 59716 at pc ( Myr) and HIP 59721 at pc ( Myr), with the two stars likely forming a wide physical binary. The trajectories of both stars relative to HD 106906 are almost coplanar with the inner disk (Δθ = 5.°4 ± 1.7 and ). These two stars are the best candidates of the currently known members of Sco–Cen for having a dynamically important close encounter with HD 106906, which may have stabilized the orbit of HD 106906 b in the scenario where the planet formed in the inner system and attained high eccentricity by interaction with the central binary.

Discovery of δ Scuti Pulsations in the Young Hybrid Debris Disk Star HD 156623

Abstract The bRing robotic observatory network was built to search for circumplanetary material within the transiting Hill sphere of the exoplanet β Pic b across its bright host star β Pic. During the bRing survey of β Pic, it simultaneously monitored the brightnesses of thousands of bright stars in the southern sky (V ≃ 4–8, δ ≲ −30°). In this work, we announce the discovery of δ Scuti pulsations in the A-type star HD 156623 using bRing data. HD 156623 is notable as it is a well-studied young star with a dusty and gas-rich debris disk, previously detected using ALMA. We present the observational results on the pulsation periods and amplitudes for HD 156623, discuss its evolutionary status, and provide further constraints on its nature and age. We find strong evidence of frequency regularity and grouping. We do not find evidence of frequency, amplitude, or phase modulation for any of the frequencies over the course of the observations. We show that HD 156623 is consistent with other hot and high-frequency pre-main sequence and early zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) δ Scutis as predicted by theoretical models and corresponding evolutionary tracks, although we observe that HD 156623 lies hotter than the theoretical blue edge of the classical instability strip. This, coupled with our characterization and Sco–Cen membership analyses, suggests that the star is most likely an outlying ZAMS member of the ∼16 Myr Upper Centaurus-Lupus subgroup of the Sco–Cen association.

Surround and Squash: the impact of superbubbles on the interstellar medium in Scorpius–Centaurus OB2

Context. Feedback by massive stars shapes the interstellar medium and is thought to influence subsequent star formation. The details of this process are under debate. Aims. We exploited observational constraints on stars, gas, and nucleosynthesis ashes for the closest region with recent massive-star formation, Scorpius–Centaurus OB2, and combined them with three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamical simulations in order to address the physics and history of the Scorpius–Centaurus superbubble. Methods. We used published cold gas observations of continuum and molecular lines from Planck, Herschel, and APEX. We analysed the Galactic All Sky Survey (GASS) to investigate shell structures in atomic hydrogen, and used Hipparcos and Gaia data in combination with interstellar absorption against stars to obtain new constraints for the distance to the Hi features. Hot gas is traced in soft X-rays via the ROSAT all sky survey. Nucleosynthesis ejecta from massive stars were traced with new INTEGRAL spectrometer observations via 26Al radioactivity. We also performed 3D hydrodynamical simulations for the Sco–Cen superbubble. Results. Soft X-rays and a now more significant detection of 26Al confirm recent (≈1 Myr ago) input of mass, energy, and nucleosynthesis ejecta, likely from a supernova in the Upper Scorpius (USco) subgroup. We confirm a large supershell around the entire OB association and perform a 3D hydrodynamics simulation with a conservative massive star population that reproduces the morphology of the superbubble. High-resolution GASS observations reveal a nested, filamentary supershell. The filaments are possibly related to the Vishniac clumping instability, but molecular gas (Lupus I) is only present where the shell coincides with the connecting line between the subgroups of the OB association, suggesting a connection to the cloud, probably an elongated sheet, out of which the OB association formed. Stars have formed sequentially in the subgroups of the OB association and currently form in Lupus I. To investigate the impact of massive star feedback on extended clouds, we simulate the interaction of a turbulent cloud with the hot, pressurised gas in a superbubble. The hot gas fills the tenuous regions of the cloud and compresses the denser parts. Stars formed in these dense clumps would have distinct spatial and kinematic distributions. Conclusions. The combined results from observations and simulations are consistent with a scenario where dense gas was initially distributed in a band elongated in the direction now occupied by the OB association. Superbubbles powered by massive stars would then repeatedly break out of the elongated parent cloud, and surround and squash the denser parts of the gas sheet and thus induce more star formation. The expected spatial and kinematic distribution of stars is consistent with observations of Sco–Cen. The scenario might apply to many similar regions in the Galaxy and also to active galactic nucleus (AGN)-related superbubbles.

Angular Momentum Evolution of Young Stars in the nearby Scorpius–Centaurus OB Association

Abstract We report the results of a study of archival SuperWASP light curves for stars in Scorpius–Centaurus (Sco–Cen), the nearest OB association. We use SuperWASP time-series photometry to extract rotation periods for 189 candidate members of the Sco–Cen complex and verify that 162 of those are members of the classic Sco–Cen subgroups of Upper Scorpius (US), Upper Centaurus-Lupus (UCL), and Lower Centaurus-Crux (LCC). This study provides the first measurements of rotation periods explicitly for large samples of pre-main-sequence (pre-MS) stars spanning the UCL and LCC subgroups. Our final sample of 157 well-characterized pre-MS stars spans ages of ∼10–20 Myr, spectral types of ∼F3–M0, and masses of M ≃ 0.3–1.5  ⊙ N . For this sample, we find a distribution of stellar rotation periods with a median of P rot ≃ 2.4 days, an overall range of 0.2 < P rot < 8 days, and a fairly well-defined mass-dependent upper envelope of rotation periods. This distribution of periods is consistent with recently developed stellar angular momentum evolution models. These data are significant because they represent an undersampled age range and the number of measurable rotation periods is large compared to recent studies of other regions. We also search for new examples of eclipsing disk or ring systems analogous to 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 (J1407), but find none. Our survey yielded five eclipsing binaries, but only one appears to be physically associated with the Sco–Cen complex. V2394 Oph is a heavily reddened (A V ≃ 5 mag) massive contact binary in the LDN 1689 cloud whose Gaia astrometry is clearly consistent with kinematic membership with the Ophiuchus star-forming region.

The First Scattered-light Image of the Debris Disk around the Sco–Cen Target HD 129590

Abstract We present the first scattered-light image of the debris disk around HD 129590, a ∼1.3 M ⊙ G1V member of the Scorpius–Centaurus association with an age of ∼10–16 Myr. The debris disk is imaged with the high contrast imaging instrument SPHERE at the Very Large Telescope, and is revealed by both the IRDIS and IFS subsytems, operating in the H and YJ bands respectively. The disk has a high infrared luminosity of ∼ 5 × 10−3, and has been resolved in other studies using ALMA. We detect a nearly edge-on ring, with evidence of an inner clearing. We fit the debris disk using a model characterized by a single bright ring, with radius ∼60–70 au, in broad agreement with previous analyses of the target SED. The disk is vertically thin, and has an inclination angle of ∼75°. Along with other previously imaged edge-on disks in the Sco–Cen association such as HD 110058, HD 115600, and HD 111520, this disk image will allow of the structure and morphology of very young debris disks, shortly after the epoch of planet formation has ceased.

A search for circularly polarized emission from young exoplanets

We report the results of a 154 MHz survey to search for emission from exoplanets located in the Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Sco Cen OB2 Association, the closest substantial region of recent star formation. This survey is different from previous efforts in that it is the first to target exoplanets orbiting Myr-old stars. Young exoplanet systems are expected to be the best candidates for radio detections given the higher magnetic field strengths predicted for young planets as well as the stronger and more dense stellar wind expected for the host stars. The radio emission from exoplanets is expected to be highly circularly polarised therefore we restricted our search to the circular polarisation images rather than the total intensity images. We carried out two different search methods using this data. The first method was a targeted search for exoplanet emission using catalogues of known stars and Hot Jupiters within the Upper Scorpius field. The second search method was a blind search for highly circularly polarised sources in the field and for sources identified only in our polarisation images. Both the blind and targeted search resulted in non-detections with typical 3-sigma flux density limits of 4--235 mJy over timescales of 1.87--1000 minutes. In particular, we place the first limits on low-frequency emission from the Hot Jupiter systems WASP-17 b and K2-33 b. These are the first results from a larger program to systematically search for low-frequency radio emission from planets orbiting young stars.

DIRECT IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY OF A YOUNG EXTRASOLAR KUIPER BELT IN THE NEAREST OB ASSOCIATION

We describe the discovery of a bright, young Kuiper belt–like debris disk around HD 115600, a ∼1.4–1.5 M{sub ⊙}, ∼15 Myr old member of the Sco–Cen OB Association. Our H-band coronagraphy/integral field spectroscopy from the Gemini Planet Imager shows the ring has a (luminosity-scaled) semimajor axis of (∼22 AU) ∼ 48 AU, similar to the current Kuiper belt. The disk appears to have neutral-scattering dust, is eccentric (e ∼ 0.1–0.2), and could be sculpted by analogs to the outer solar system planets. Spectroscopy of the disk ansae reveal a slightly blue to gray disk color, consistent with major Kuiper belt chemical constituents, where water ice is a very plausible dominant constituent. Besides being the first object discovered with the next generation of extreme adaptive optics systems (i.e., SCExAO, GPI, SPHERE), HD 115600's debris ring and planetary system provide a key reference point for the early evolution of the solar system, the structure, and composition of the Kuiper belt and the interaction between debris disks and planets.

DISCOVERY OF SEVEN COMPANIONS TO INTERMEDIATE-MASS STARS WITH EXTREME MASS RATIOS IN THE SCORPIUS–CENTAURUS ASSOCIATION

We report the detection of seven low mass companions to intermediate-mass stars (SpT B/A/F; $M$$\approx$1.5-4.5 solar masses) in the Scorpius-Centaurus Association using nonredundant aperture masking interferometry. Our newly detected objects have contrasts $\Delta L'$$\approx$4-6, corresponding to masses as low as $\sim$20 Jupiter masses and mass ratios of $q$$\approx$0.01-0.08, depending on the assumed age of the target stars. With projected separations $\rho$$\approx$10-30 AU, our aperture masking detections sample an orbital region previously unprobed by conventional adaptive optics imaging of intermediate mass Scorpius-Centaurus stars covering much larger orbital radii ($\approx$30-3000 AU). At such orbital separations, these objects resemble higher mass versions of the directly imaged planetary mass companions to the 10-30 Myr, intermediate-mass stars HR 8799, $\beta$ Pictoris, and HD95086. These newly discovered companions span the brown dwarf desert, and their masses and orbital radii provide a new constraint on models of the formation of low-mass stellar and substellar companions to intermediate-mass stars.

New pre-main-sequence stars in the Upper Scorpius subgroup of Sco–Cen

We present 237 new spectroscopically confirmed pre-main-sequence K and M-type stars in the young Upper Scorpius subgroup of the Sco-Cen association, the near- est region of recent massive star formation. Using the Wide-Field Spectrograph at the Australian National University 2.3 m telescope at Siding Spring, we observed 397 kinematically and photometrically selected candidate members of Upper Scorpius, and identified new members by the presence of Lithium absorption. The HR-diagram of the new members shows a spread of ages, ranging from ~3-20 Myr, which broadly agrees with the current age estimates of ~5-10 Myr. We find a significant range of Li 6708 equivalent widths among the members, and a minor dependence of HR-diagram position on the measured equivalent width of the Li 6708A line, with members that appear younger having more Lithium. This could indicate the presence of either popu- lations of different age, or a spread of ages in Upper Scorpius. We also use Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer data to infer circumstellar disk presence in 25 of the members on the basis of infrared excesses, including two candidate transition disks. We find that 11.2+-3.4% of the M0-M2 spectral type (0.4-0.8 M_sun) Upper Sco stars display an excess that indicates the presence of a gaseous disk.

The Multiple Star η Muscae

AbstractHigh-resolution spectroscopy of η Mus is combined with literature and new photometry to provide a comprehensive analysis of its components. Our main absolute parameters for the close binary system are M1 and M2 3.34 ± 0.04 M⊙, R1 2.13 ± 0.07 R⊙, R2 2.34 ± 0.10 R⊙; T1 13 000 ± 300, T2 12 600 ± 300, K; and distance 125 ± 10 pc. Our findings update earlier results in a number of respects. We thus confirm that η Mus B is a gravitationally bound companion of the close binary. This relates to the variable γ velocity of the radial velocities of η Mus A. We connect this to the recently discovered member η Mus D, whose orbit we link to new data. We also provide a spectroscopic examination of the Ap star η Mus B, listing over 450 identified lines. We argue that the system is still young, and the apparently anomalous rotation of the close binary’s secondary can be reconciled with its being a physically larger star, still condensing to the zero-age main sequence. Models of young condensing stars permit such expanded states, particularly during the deuterium-burning stage, and our results are in agreement with appropriate low-age models. This possible configuration may make η Mus an important example for testing young star models, formation, and evolution scenarios. This multiple star can be compared with V831 Cen and the general properties related to its membership of the Sco–Cen OB2 association.

THESPITZERSURVEY OF INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS IN THE GOULD BELT. V. OPHIUCHUS NORTH OBSERVED WITH IRAC AND MIPS

We present Spitzer IRAC (2.1 deg2) and MIPS (6.5 deg2) observations of star formation in the Ophiuchus North (Oph N) molecular clouds. This fragmentary cloud complex lies on the edge of the Sco–Cen OB association, several degrees to the north of the well-known ρ Oph star-forming region, at an approximate distance of 130 pc. The Oph N clouds were mapped as part of the Spitzer Gould Belt project under the working name "Scorpius." In the regions mapped, selected to encompass all the cloud with visual extinction AV > 3, 11 young stellar object (YSO) candidates are identified, 8 from IRAC/MIPS color-based selection and 3 from Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) KS/MIPS colors. Adding to one source previously identified in L43, this increases the number of YSOcs identified in Oph N to 12. During the selection process, four color-based YSOcs were rejected as probable asymptotic giant branch stars and one as a known galaxy. The sources span the full range of YSOc classifications from Class 0/1 to Class III, and starless cores are also present. Twelve high extinction (AV > 10) cores are identified with a total mass of ∼100 M☉. These results confirm that there is little ongoing star formation in this region (instantaneous star formation efficiency <0.34%) and that the bottleneck lies in the formation of dense cores. The influence of the nearby Upper Sco OB association, including the 09V star ζ Oph, is seen in dynamical interactions and raised dust temperatures but has not enhanced levels of star formation in Oph N.

A moving group of young stars in Carina—Vela

Accurate two-colour photometry and proper motions of 7096 young X-ray stars in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey Bright Star Catalogue, version 1RXS, are extracted from the Tycho-2 Catalogue. The sample is dominated by red main-sequence and possibly pre-main-sequence stars. On a global proper motion convergence map, two features are very prominent: the nearby section of the Gould Belt and the Hyades convergent point. The appearance of the Gould Belt feature with its peak at (l=2443, b=−126) is quite similar to that of Hipparcos OB stars. When only stars with proper motions drawing close to that point are selected, strong concentrations of stars in the direction of the Sco–Cen complex are found. Another concentration, not corresponding to any known OB association, is detected between the position of the Lower Centaurus Crux and Vela OB2 associations. It is a new young moving group located in Carina and Vela, and a near extension of the Sco–Cen complex. Contrary to the classical Gould Belt OB associations, the Carina–Vela moving group has a considerable geometric depth, the closest members being as near as 30 pc from the Sun. IC 2391, one of the youngest and closest open clusters on the sky, is a part of the Carina–Vela moving group. The Carina–Vela moving group does not link the Sco–Cen complex with the Vela OB associations, because the latter is much more distant than the outer limit of the sample. It is more likely that the young late-type population of the Scorpio–Centaurus–Carina moving group stretches towards the Sun and possibly beyond it.

Interstellar C IV and Si IV in the Direction of Loop I

AbstractNearby late-B and early-A stars show clear IS absorptions in Mg II, C II and other lines (IUE spectra). Some of them, in the Sco Cen direction, also show absorption features at C IV and Si IV line wavelengths. We discuss the possible formation of these lines in an intermediate temperature gas region between the dense and cold H I wall and the hot ISM, a region that could be the collision interaction between the Local Bubble and the Loop I supershell. Some individual stellar spectra are presented and discussed.

A review of early-type close binary systems

This is a review of close binary systems with very early spectral types (B, O, Of, and WR stars). We limit our selection to systems with Roche model photometric solution only. There are 10 contact systems known at present. Three of them (V701 Sco, BH Cen, and RZ Pyx) are located in the vicinity of the zero-age contact (ZC) according to a Spectral Type — Period diagram. Only the first two systems have absolute dimensions available. Both of these fall into the ZC zone in the logP-logm diagram and the logm-logR diagram. The system TU Mus was thought to be a ZC system is located in the evolved contact zone (EC) in the above diagrams. Both V701 Sco and BH Cen were thought to be having mass ratios about unity. With the much improved light curves of BH Cen and new analysis the mass ratio has been revised to 0.84! This result may favor Shu's model for early-type zero-age contact systems. The evolved systems might be undergone Case A mass exchange except for two systems (V729 Cyg and RY Sct) which might be from Case B. The systems V367 Cyg was classified by Plavec as a W Ser system may be a evolved contact system.

A New Radio-Wave Technique in X-Ray Astronomy

It is evident that the limited duration of a single rocket or balloon flight is a severe handicap to the study of variable X-ray sources like Cen XR-2, the early history of which can only be conjectured from the few available rocket observations. The whole question of the variability of X-ray sources remains in doubt because of the difficulty of relating infrequent high-altitude flux measurements of short duration made with a variety of instruments. There are obvious advantages in a method of monitoring celestial X-ray fluxes from the ground for prolonged periods of time. Such a method has recently been found and, although presently restricted to strong sources like Sco XR-1 and Cen XR-2, is capable of considerable refinement.