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The time evolution of angular momentum and surface rotation of massive stars is strongly influenced by fossil magnetic fields via magnetic braking. We present a new module containing a simple, comprehensive implementation of such a field at the surface of a massive star within the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) software instrument. We test two limiting scenarios for magnetic braking: distributing the angular momentum loss throughout the star in the first case, and restricting the angular momentum loss to a surface reservoir in the second case. We perform a systematic investigation of the rotational evolution using a grid of OB star models with surface magnetic fields ($M_\star=5-60$ M$_\odot$, $\Omega/\Omega_{\rm crit} =0.2-1.0$, $B_{\rm p} =1-20$ kG). We then employ a representative grid of B-type star models ($M_\star=5, 10, 15$ M$_\odot$, $\Omega/\Omega_{\rm crit} =0.2 , 0.5, 0.8$, $B_{\rm p} = 1, 3 ,10, 30$ kG) to compare to the results of a recent self-consistent analysis of the sample of known magnetic B-type stars. We infer that magnetic massive stars arrive at the zero age main sequence with a range of rotation rates, rather than with one common value. In particular, some stars are required to have close-to-critical rotation at the ZAMS. However, magnetic braking yields surface rotation rates converging to a common low value, making it difficult to infer the initial rotation rates of evolved, slowly-rotating stars., Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS, a zenodo record is available at: https://zenodo.org/record/3250412

HD 144941 is an extreme He (EHe) star, a rare class of subdwarf OB star formed from the merger of two white dwarf (WD) stars. Uniquely amongst EHe stars, its light curve has been reported to be modulated entirely by rotation, suggesting the presence of a magnetic field. Here we report the first high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of HD 144941, in which we detect an extremely strong magnetic field both in circular polarization (with a line-of-sight magnetic field averaged over the stellar disk $\langle B_z \rangle \sim -8$ kG) and in Zeeman splitting of spectral lines (yielding a magnetic modulus of $\langle B \rangle \sim 17$ kG). We also report for the first time weak H$\alpha$ emission consistent with an origin an a Centrifugal Magnetosphere (CM). HD 144941's atmospheric parameters could be consistent with either a subdwarf or a main sequence (MS) star, and its surface abundances are neither similar to other EHe stars nor to He-strong magnetic stars. However, its H$\alpha$ emission properties can only be reproduced if its mass is around 1 M$_\odot$, indicating that it must be a post-MS object. Since there is no indication of binarity, it is unlikely to be a stripped star, and was therefore most likely produced in a WD merger. HD 144941 is therefore further evidence that mergers are a viable pathway for the generation of fossil magnetic fields., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Mass-loss rates and terminal wind velocities are key parameters that determine the kinetic wind energy and momenta of massive stars. Furthermore, accurate mass-loss rates determine the mass and rotational velocity evolution of mass stars, and their fates as neutron stars and black holes in function of metallicity (Z). Here we update our Monte Carlo mass-loss Recipe with new dynamically-consistent computations of the terminal wind velocity -- as a function of Z. These predictions are particularly timely as the HST ULLYSES project will observe ultraviolet spectra with blue-shifted P Cygni lines of hundreds of massive stars in the low-Z Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, as well as sub-SMC metallicity hosts. Around 35 000 K, we uncover a weak-wind "dip" and we present diagnostics to investigate its physics with ULLYSES and X-Shooter data. We discuss how the dip may provide important information on wind-driving physics, and how this is of key relevance towards finding a new gold-standard for OB star mass-loss rates. For B supergiants below the Fe IV to III bi-stability jump, the terminal velocity is found to be independent of Z and M, while the mass-loss rate still varies as $\dot{M} \propto Z^{0.85}$. For O-type stars above the bi-stability jump we find a terminal-velocity dependence of $v_{\infty} \propto Z^{0.19}$ and the Z-dependence of the mass-loss rate is found to be as shallow as $\dot{M} \propto Z^{0.42}$, implying that to reproduce the `heavy' black holes from LIGO/VIRGO, the `low Z' requirement becomes even more stringent than was previously anticipated., Comment: MNRAS Accepted. 12 pages, 13 figures. Notes on IDL/Python Mass-loss Recipe Usage added to the Appendix

Radiative feedback can influence subsequent star formation. We quantify the heating from OB stars in the local star-forming regions in the JCMT Gould Belt survey. Dust temperatures are calculated from 450/850 micron flux ratios from SCUBA-2 observations at the JCMT assuming a fixed dust opacity spectral index $\beta=1.8$. Mean dust temperatures are calculated for each submillimetre clump along with projected distances from the main OB star in the region. Temperature vs. distance is fit with a simple model of dust heating by the OB star radiation plus the interstellar radiation field and dust cooling through optically thin radiation. Classifying the heating sources by spectral type, O-type stars produce the greatest clump average temperature rises and largest heating extent, with temperatures over 40 K and significant heating out to at least 2.4 pc. Early-type B stars (B4 and above) produce temperatures of over 20 K and significant heating over 0.4 pc. Late-type B stars show a marginal heating effect within 0.2 pc. For a given projected distance, there is a significant scatter in clump temperatures that is due to local heating by other luminous stars in the region, projection effects, or shadowing effects. Even in these local, `low-mass' star-forming regions, radiative feedback is having an effect on parsec scales, with 24% of the clumps heated to at least 3 K above the 15 K base temperature expected from heating by only the interstellar radiation field, and a mean dust temperature for heated clumps of 24 K., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. MNRAS accepted

Runaway OB stars are ejected from their parent clusters via two mechanisms, both involving multiple stars: the dynamical ejection scenario (DES) and the binary supernova scenario (BSS). We constrain the relative contributions from these two ejection mechanisms in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) using data for 304 field OB stars from the spatially complete, Runaways and Isolated O-Type Star Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC (RIOTS4). We obtain stellar masses and projected rotational velocities $v_r\sin i $ for the sample using RIOTS4 spectra, and use transverse velocities $v_{\rm loc}$ from $\it{Gaia}$ DR2 proper motions. Kinematic analyses of the masses, $v_r\sin i $, non-compact binaries, high-mass X-ray binaries, and Oe/Be stars largely support predictions for the statistical properties of the DES and BSS populations. We find that dynamical ejections dominate over supernova ejections by a factor of $\sim 2-3$ in the SMC, and our results suggest a high frequency of DES runaways and binary ejections. Objects seen as BSS runaways also include two-step ejections of binaries that are reaccelerated by SN kicks. We find that two-step runaways likely dominate the BSS runaway population. Our results further imply that any contribution from $\it{in-situ}$ field OB star formation is small. Finally, our data strongly support the post-mass-transfer model for the origin of classical Oe/Be stars, providing a simple explanation for the bimodality in the $v_r\sin i $ distribution and high, near-critical, Oe/Be rotation velocities. The close correspondence of Oe/Be stars with BSS predictions implies that the emission-line disks are long-lived., Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. Accepted by ApJ

Context. The lack of high-precision long-term continuous photometric data for large samples of stars has impeded the large-scale exploration of pulsational variability in the OB star regime. As a result, the candidates for in-depth asteroseismic modelling have remained limited to a few dozen dwarfs. The TESS nominal space mission has surveyed the southern sky, including parts of the galactic plane, yielding continuous data across at least 27 d for hundreds of OB stars. Aims. We aim to couple TESS data in the southern sky with ground-based spectroscopy to study the variability in two dimensions, mass and evolution. We focus mainly on the presence of coherent pulsation modes that may or may not be present in the predicted theoretical instability domains and unravel all frequency behaviour in the amplitude spectra of the TESS data. Methods. We compose a sample of 98 OB-type stars observed by TESS in Sectors 1-13 and with available multi-epoch, high-resolution spectroscopy gathered by the IACOB and OWN surveys. We present the short-cadence 2 min light curves of dozens of OB-type stars, which have one or more spectra in the IACOB or OWN database. Based on these light curves and their Lomb-Scargle periodograms, we performed variability classification and frequency analysis. We placed the stars in the spectroscopic Hertzsprung-Russell diagram to interpret the variability in an evolutionary context. Results. We deduce the diverse origins of the mmag-level variability found in all of the 98 OB stars in the TESS data. We find among the sample several new variable stars, including three hybrid pulsators, three eclipsing binaries, high frequency modes in a Be star, and potential heat-driven pulsations in two Oe stars. Conclusions. We identify stars for which future asteroseismic modelling is possible, provided mode identification is achieved. By comparing the position of the variables to theoretical instability strips, we discuss the current shortcomings in non-adiabatic pulsation theory and the distribution of pulsators in the upper Hertzsprung-Russell diagram., With funding from the Spanish government through the "María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence" accreditation (MDM-2017-0737)

X-ray photometry and optical spectra are presented covering the periastron passage of the highly-eccentric, ~50 year binary system PSR J2032+4127 in November 2017. This system consists of a 143 ms pulsar in orbit around a massive OB star, MT 91-213. The data show dramatic changes during the encounter as the pulsar wind collided with the stellar wind. The X-ray flux rose on the approach to periastron, then underwent a major dip in the few days around periastron, and then gradually declined over the next few weeks. The optical spectroscopy revealed a steady decline in the H? line strength on the approach to periastron (from an Equivalent Width of -15A to -7A) implying a truncation of the OB star's circumstellar disk by the approaching neutron star. Smooth Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) modelling is used here to model the system within the context of the observed behaviour and predict the geometrical configuration of the circumstellar disk with respect to the pulsar's orbit., Comment: 13 pages 14 figures accepted for publication MNRAS

Context. In recent years, an in-depth gamma-ray analysis of the Orion region has been carried out by the AGILE and Fermi-LAT (Large Area Telescope) teams with the aim of estimating the H2-CO conversion factor, XCO. The comparison of the data from both satellites with models of diffuse gamma-ray Galactic emission unveiled an excess at (l,b)=[213.9, -19.5], in a region at a short angular distance from the OB star k-Ori. Possible explanations of this excess are scattering of the so-called "dark gas", non-linearity in the H2-CO relation, or Cosmic-Ray (CR) energization at the k-Ori wind shock. Aims. Concerning this last hypothesis, we want to verify whether cosmic-ray acceleration or re-acceleration could be triggered at the k-Ori forward shock, which we suppose to be interacting with a star-forming shell detected in several wavebands and probably triggered by high energy particles. Methods. Starting from the AGILE spectrum of the detected gamma-ray excess, showed here for the first time, we developed a valid physical model for cosmic-ray energization, taking into account re-acceleration, acceleration, energy losses, and secondary electron contribution. Results. Despite the characteristic low velocity of an OB star forward shock during its "snowplow" expansion phase, we find that the Orion gamma-ray excess could be explained by re-acceleration of pre-existing cosmic rays in the interaction between the forward shock of k-Ori and the CO-detected, star-forming shell swept-up by the star expansion. According to our calculations, a possible contribution from freshly accelerated particles is sub-dominant with respect the re-acceleration contribution. However, a simple adiabatic compression of the shell could also explain the detected gamma-ray emission. Futher GeV and TeV observations of this region are highly recommended in order to correctly identify the real physical scenario., 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted by A&A

Magnetic massive stars comprise approximately 10% of the total OB star population. Modern spectropolarimetry shows these stars host strong, stable, large-scale, often nearly dipolar surface magnetic fields of 1 kG or more. These global magnetic fields trap and deflect outflowing stellar wind material, forming an anisotropic magnetosphere that can be probed with wind-sensitive UV resonance lines. Recent HST UV spectra of NGC 1624-2, the most magnetic O star observed to date, show atypically unsaturated P-Cygni profiles in the Civ resonant doublet, as well as a distinct variation with rotational phase. We examine the effect of non-radial, magnetically-channeled wind outflow on P-Cygni line formation, using a Sobolev Exact Integration (SEI) approach for direct comparison with HST UV spectra of NGC 1624-2. We demonstrate that the addition of a magnetic field desaturates the absorption trough of the P-Cygni profiles, but further efforts are needed to fully account for the observed line profile variation. Our study thus provides a first step toward a broader understanding of how strong magnetic fields affect mass loss diagnostics from UV lines., 4 pages, 3 figures, IAUS 329 Proceedings

Massive OB stars are critical to the ecology of galaxies, and yet our knowledge of OB stars in the Milky Way, fainter than $V \sim 12$, remains patchy. Data from the VST Photometric H$\alpha$ Survey (VPHAS+) permit the construction of the first deep catalogues of blue excess-selected OB stars, without neglecting the stellar field. A total of 14900 candidates with 2MASS cross-matches are blue-selected from a 42 square-degree region in the Galactic Plane, capturing the Carina Arm over the Galactic longitude range $282^{\circ} \lesssim \ell \lesssim 293^{\circ}$. Spectral energy distribution fitting is performed on these candidates' combined VPHAS+ $u,g,r,i$ and 2MASS $J,H,K$ magnitudes. This delivers: effective temperature constraints, statistically separating O from early-B stars; high-quality extinction parameters, $A_0$ and $R_V$ (random errors typically $< 0.1$). The high-confidence O-B2 candidates number 5915 and a further 5170 fit to later B spectral type. Spectroscopy of 276 of the former confirms 97% of them. The fraction of emission line stars among all candidate B stars is 7--8% . Greyer ($R_V > 3.5$) extinction laws are ubiquitous in the region, over the distance range 2.5--3 kpc to $\sim$10~kpc. Near prominent massive clusters, $R_V$ tends to rise, with particularly large and chaotic excursions to $R_V \sim 5$ seen in the Carina Nebula. The data reveal a hitherto unnoticed association of 108 O-B2 stars around the O5If$+$ star LSS 2063 ($\ell = 289.77^{\circ}$, $b = -1.22^{\circ}$). Treating the OB star scale-height as a constant within the thin disk, we find an orderly mean relation between extinction ($A_0$) and distance in the Galactic longitude range, $287.6^{\circ} < \ell < 293.5^{\circ}$, and infer the subtle onset of thin-disk warping. A halo around NGC 3603, roughly a degree in diameter, of $\sim$500 O-B2 stars with $4 < A_0 (\rm{mag}) < 7$ is noted., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 26 pages, 20 figures, 4 tables, 1 appendix

We present the results of the study of the red nova PSN J14021678+5426205 based on the observations carried out with the Russian 6-m telescope (BTA) along with other telescopes of SAO RAS and SAI MSU. To investigate the nova progenitor, we used the data from the Digital Sky Survey and amateur photos available on the internet. In the period between April 1993 and July 2014, the brightness of the progenitor gradually increased by 2.2 mag in the V band. At the peak of the first outburst in mid-November of 2014, the star reached an absolute visual magnitude of -12.75 mag but was discovered later, in February 2015, in a repeated outburst at the absolute magnitude of -11.65 mag. The amplitude of the outburst was minimum among the red novae, only 5.6 mag in the V band. The H alpha emission line and the continuum of a cool supergiant with a gradually decreasing surface temperature were observed in the spectra. Such process is typical for red novae, although the object under study showed extreme parameters: maximum luminosity, maximum outburst duration, minimum outburst amplitude, unusual shape of the light curve. This event is interpreted as a massive OB star system components merging accompanied by the formation of a common envelope and then the expansion of this envelope with minimal energy losses.

We present a catalog of relative proper motions for 368,787 stars in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), based on a dedicated two-epoch survey with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and supplemented with proper motions from our pilot archival study. We demonstrate that a relatively short epoch difference of 3 years is sufficient to reach a $\sim$0.1 mas yr$^{-1}$ level of precision or better. A number of stars have relative proper motions exceeding a 3-sigma error threshold, representing a mixture of Milky Way denizens and 17 potential LMC runaway stars. Based upon 183 VFTS OB-stars with the best proper motions, we conclude that none of them move faster than $\sim$0.3 mas yr$^{-1}$ in each coordinate -- equivalent to $\sim$70 km s$^{-1}$. Among the remaining 351 VFTS stars with less accurate proper motions, only one candidate OB runaway can be identified. We rule out any OB star in our sample moving at a tangential velocity exceeding $\sim$120 km s$^{-1}$. The most significant result of this study is finding 10 stars over wide range of masses, which appear to be ejected from the massive star cluster R136 in the tangential plane to angular distances from $35^{\prime\prime}$ out to $407^{\prime\prime}$, equivalent to 8-98 pc. The tangential velocities of these runaways appear to be correlated with apparent magnitude, indicating a possible dependence on the stellar mass., 45 pages (in referee format), 12 figures, 3 tables. Submitted to AJ. Comments are welcome

Clusters or associations of early-type stars are often associated with a 'superbubble' of hot gas. The formation of such superbubbles is caused by the feedback from massive stars. The complex N206 in the Large Magellanic Cloud exhibits a superbubble and a rich massive star population. We observed these massive stars using the FLAMES multi-object spectrograph at ESO-VLT. Available UV spectra from HST, IUE, and FUSE are also used. The spectral analysis is performed with Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmospheres. We present the stellar and wind parameters of the OB stars and the two WR binaries in the N206 complex. Twelve percent of the sample show Oe/Be type emission lines, although most of them appear to rotate far below critical. We found eight runaway stars based on their radial velocity. The wind-momentum luminosity relation of our OB sample is consistent with the expectations. The HRD of the OB stars reveals a large age spread (1-30 Myr), suggesting different episodes of star formation in the complex. The youngest stars are concentrated in the inner part of the complex, while the older OB stars are scattered over outer regions. We derived the present day mass function for the entire N206 complex as well as for the cluster NGC2018. Three very massive Of stars are found to dominate the feedback among 164 OB stars in the sample. The two WR winds alone release about as much mechanical luminosity as the whole OB star sample. The cumulative mechanical feedback from all massive stellar winds is comparable to the combined mechanical energy of the supernova explosions that likely occurred in the complex. Accounting also for the WR wind and supernovae, the mechanical input over the last five Myr is ~$2.3\times10^{52}$ erg, which exceeds the current energy content of the complex by more than a factor of five. The morphology of the complex suggests a leakage of hot gas from the superbubble., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

Classical Supergiant X-ray Binaries host a neutron star orbiting a supergiant OB star and display persistent X-ray luminosities of 10$^{35}$ to 10$^{37}$ erg/s. The stellar wind from the massive companion is believed to be the main source of matter accreted by the compact object. With this first paper, we introduce a ballistic model to characterize the structure of the wind at the orbital scale as it accelerates, from the stellar surface to the vicinity of the accretor. Thanks to the parametrization we retained and the numerical pipeline we designed, we can investigate the supersonic flow and the subsequent observables as a function of a reduced set of characteristic numbers and scales. We show that the shape of the permanent flow is entirely determined by the mass ratio, the filling factor, the Eddington factor and the $\alpha$-force multiplier which drives the stellar wind acceleration. Provided scales such as the orbital period are known, we can trace back the observables to evaluate the mass accretion rates, the accretion mechanism, the shearing of the inflow and the stellar parameters. We confront our model to three persistent Supergiant X-ray Binaries (Vela X-1, IGR J18027-2016, XTE J1855-026) and discuss the likelihood of wind-formed accretion discs around the accretors in each case, further investigated in a following paper.

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) has measured the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for several stars of types O, B, A, F, and G. These absolute fluxes from the CALSPEC database are fit with a new spectral grid computed from the ATLAS-APOGEE ATLAS9 model atmosphere database using a chi-square minimization technique in four parameters. The quality of the fits are compared for complete LTE grids by Castelli & Kurucz (CK04) and our new comprehensive LTE grid (BOSZ). For the cooler stars, the fits with the MARCS LTE grid are also evaluated, while the hottest stars are also fit with the NLTE Lanz & Hubeny OB star grids. Unfortunately, these NLTE models do not transition smoothly in the infrared to agree with our new BOSZ LTE grid at the NLTE lower limit of Teff =15,000K. The new BOSZ grid is available via the Space Telescope Institute MAST archive and has a much finer sampled IR wavelength scale than CK04, which will facilitate the modeling of stars observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Our result for the angular diameter of Sirius agrees with the ground- based interferometric value., 11 figures

The magnetic activity of solar-type and low-mass stars is a well known source of coronal X-ray emission. At the other end of the main sequence, X-rays emission is instead associated with the powerful, radiatively driven winds of massive stars. Indeed, the intrinsically unstable line-driving mechanism of OB star winds gives rise to shock-heated, soft emission (~0.5 keV) distributed throughout the wind. Recently, the latest generation of spectropolarimetric instrumentation has uncovered a population of massive OB-stars hosting strong, organized magnetic fields. The magnetic characteristics of these stars are similar to the apparently fossil magnetic fields of the chemically peculiar ApBp stars. Magnetic channeling of these OB stars' strong winds leads to the formation of large-scale shock-heated magnetospheres, which can modify UV resonance lines, create complex distributions of cooled Halpha emitting material, and radiate hard (~2-5 keV) X-rays. This presentation summarizes our coordinated observational and modelling efforts to characterize the manifestation of these magnetospheres in the X-ray domain, providing an important contrast between the emission originating in shocks associated with the large-scale fossil fields of massive stars, and the X-rays associated with the activity of complex, dynamo-generated fields in lower-mass stars.

The Carina star-forming region is one of the largest in the Galaxy, and its massive star population is still being unveiled. The large number of stars combined with high, and highly variable, interstellar extinction makes it inherently difficult to find OB stars in this type of young region. We present the results of a spectroscopic campaign to study the massive star population of the Carina Nebula, with the primary goal to confirm or reject previously identified Carina OB star candidates. A total of 141 known O- and B-type stars and 94 candidates were observed, of which 73 candidates had a high enough signal-to-noise ratio to classify. We find 23 new OB stars within the Carina Nebula, a 32% confirmation rate. One of the new OB stars has blended spectra and is suspected to be a double-lined spectroscopic binary (SB2). We also reclassify the spectral types of the known OB stars and discover nine new SB2s among this population. Finally, we discuss the spatial distribution of these new OB stars relative to known structures in the Carina NSebula., Accepted to AAS Journals

The Wolf-Rayet 98a (WR 98a) system is a prime target for interferometric surveys, since its identification as a "rotating pinwheel nebulae", where infrared images display a spiral dust lane revolving with a 1.4 year periodicity. WR 98a hosts a WC9+OB star, and the presence of dust is puzzling given the extreme luminosities of Wolf-Rayet stars. We present 3D hydrodynamic models for WR 98a, where dust creation and redistribution are self-consistently incorporated. Our grid-adaptive simulations resolve details in the wind collision region at scales below one percent of the orbital separation (~4 AU), while simulating up to 1300 AU. We cover several orbital periods under conditions where the gas component alone behaves adiabatic, or is subject to effective radiative cooling. In the adiabatic case, mixing between stellar winds is effective in a well-defined spiral pattern, where optimal conditions for dust creation are met. When radiative cooling is incorporated, the interaction gets dominated by thermal instabilities along the wind collision region, and dust concentrates in clumps and filaments in a volume-filling fashion, so WR 98a must obey close to adiabatic evolutions to demonstrate the rotating pinwheel structure. We mimic Keck, ALMA or future E-ELT observations and confront photometric long-term monitoring. We predict an asymmetry in the dust distribution between leading and trailing edge of the spiral, show that ALMA and E-ELT would be able to detect fine-structure in the spiral indicative of Kelvin-Helmholtz development, and confirm the variation in photometry due to the orientation. Historic Keck images are reproduced, but their resolution is insufficient to detect the details we predict., Accepted for publication in mnras

A few high-mass X-ray binaries-consisting of an OB star plus compact companion- have been observed by Fermi and ground-based Cerenkov telescopes like High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) to be sources of very high energy (VHE; up to 30 TeV) γ-rays. This paper focuses on the prominent γ-ray source, LS 5039, which consists of a massive O6.5V star in a 3.9-day-period, mildly elliptical (e ≈ 0.24) orbit with its companion, assumed here to be an unmagnetized compact object (e.g., black hole). Using three dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of the Bondi-Hoyle accretion of the O-star wind onto the companion, we find that the orbital phase variation of the accretion follows very closely the simple Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton (BHL) rate for the local radius and wind speed. Moreover, a simple model, wherein intrinsic emission of γ-rays is assumed to track this accretion rate, reproduces quite well Fermi observations of the phase variation of γ-rays in the energy range 0.1-10 GeV. However for the VHE (0.1-30 TeV) radiation observed by the HESS Cerenkov telescope, it is important to account also for photon-photon interactions between the γ-rays and the stellar optical/UV radiation, which effectively attenuates much of the strong emission near periastron. When this is included, we find that this simple BHL accretion model also quite naturally fits the HESS light curve, thus making it a strong alternative to the pulsar-wind-shock models commonly invoked to explain such VHE γ-ray emission in massive-star binaries., Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas

We present the Runaways and Isolated O-Type Star Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC (RIOTS4), a spatially complete survey of uniformly selected field OB stars that covers the entire star-forming body of the SMC. Using the IMACS multislit spectrograph and MIKE echelle spectrograph on the Magellan telescopes, we obtained spectra of 374 early-type field stars that are at least 28 pc from any other OB candidates. We also obtained spectra of an additional 23 field stars in the SMC bar identified from slightly different photometric criteria. Here, we present the observational catalog of stars in the RIOTS4 survey, including spectral classifications and radial velocities. For three multi-slit fields covering 8% of our sample, we carried out monitoring observations over 9-16 epochs to study binarity, finding a spectroscopic, massive binary frequency of at least $\sim$60% in this subsample. Classical Oe/Be stars represent a large fraction of RIOTS4 (42%), occurring at much higher frequency than in the Galaxy, consistent with expectation at low metallicity. RIOTS4 confirmed a steep upper IMF in the field, apparently caused by the inability of the most massive stars to form in the smallest clusters. Our survey also yields evidence for in-situ field OB star formation, and properties of field emission-line star populations, including sgB[e] stars and classical Oe/Be stars. We also discuss the radial velocity distribution and its relation to SMC kinematics and runaway stars. RIOTS4 presents a first quantitative characterization of field OB stars in an external galaxy, including the contributions of sparse, but normal, star formation; runaway stars; and candidate isolated star formation., 21 pages plus supplementary table, 12 Figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

We observed the bright O6If(n) supergiant λ Cep in 1997 with the 6-m optical telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory and in 2007 with the 1.8-m telescope of the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (South Korea). A total of 90 spectra of the star were acquired, with good time resolution (10 minutes), signal-to-noise ratios 150–300, and spectral resolutions of 45 000–60 000. We detected line-profile variations of H, HeI, and HeII lines. It is suggested that the detected variations are due to non-radial photospheric pulsations and the star’s rotation (rotational profile modulation).

We use high-resolution International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) data and the interstellar (IS) features of highly ionized Si IV and C IV seen toward the young, bright OB stars of NGC 2244 in the core of the Rosette Nebula to study the physics of young IS bubbles. Two discrete velocity components in Si IV and C IV are seen toward stars in the 6.2 pc radius central cavity, while only a single velocity component is seen toward those stars in the surrounding H II region, at the perimeter and external to this cavity. The central region shows characteristics of a very young, windblown bubble. The shell around the central hot cavity is expanding at 56 km s–1 with respect to the embedded OB stars, while the surrounding H II region of the Rosette is expanding at ~13 km s–1. Even though these stars are quite young (≈2-4 Myr), both the radius and expansion velocity of the 6.2 pc inner shell point to a far younger age; t age ~ 6.4 × 104 years. These results represent a strong contradiction to theory and present modeling, where much larger bubbles are predicted around individual O stars and O associations. Specifically, the results for this small bubble and its deduced age extend the "missing wind luminosity problem" to young evolving bubbles. These results indicate that OB star winds mix the surrounding H II regions and the wind kinetic energy is converted to turbulence and radiated away in the dense H II regions. These winds do not form hot, adiabatically expanding cavities. True IS bubbles appear only to form at later evolutionary times, perhaps triggered by increased mass loss rates or discrete ejection events. Means for rectifying discrepancies between theory and observations are discussed.

We present a study of the infrared properties of 4922 spectroscopically confirmed massive stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, focusing on the active OB star population. Besides OB stars, our sample includes yellow and red supergiants, Wolf-Rayet stars, Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) and supergiant B[e] stars. We detect a distinct Be star sequence, displaced to the red, and find a higher fraction of Oe and Be stars among O and early-B stars in the SMC, respectively, when compared to the LMC, and that the SMC Be stars occur at higher luminosities. We also find photometric variability among the active OB population and evidence for transitions of Be stars to B stars and vice versa. We furthermore confirm the presence of dust around all the supergiant B[e] stars in our sample, finding the shape of their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) to be very similar, in contrast to the variety of SED shapes among the spectrally variable LBVs., 5 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the proceedings of the IAUS 272 on "Active OB stars: structure, evolution, mass loss and critical limits" (Paris, July 19-23, 2010), Cambridge University Press. Editors C. Neiner, G. Wade, G. Meynet and G. Peters

The 11th magnitude star LS IV -08 3 has been classified previously as an OB star in the Luminous Stars survey, or alternatively as a hot subdwarf. It is actually a binary star. We present spectroscopy, spectroscopic orbital elements, and time series photometry, from observations made at the Kitt Peak National Observatory 2.1m, Steward Observatory 2.3m, MDM Observatory 1.3m and 2.4m, Hobby-Eberly 9.2m, and Michigan State University 0.6m telescopes. The star exhibits emission of varying strength in the cores of H and He I absorption lines. Emission is also present at 4686 Angstroms (He II) and near 4640/4650 Angstroms (N III/C III). Time-series spectroscopy collected from 2005 July to 2007 June shows coherent, periodic radial velocity variations of the H-alpha line, which we interpret as orbital motion with a period of 0.1952894(10) days. High-resolution spectra show that there are two emission components, one broad and one narrow, moving in antiphase, as might arise from an accretion disk and the irradiated face of the mass donor star. Less coherent, low-amplitude photometric variability is also present on a timescale similar to the orbital period. Diffuse interstellar bands indicate considerable reddening, which however is consistent with a distance of ~100-200 pc. The star is the likely counterpart of a weak ROSAT X-ray source, whose properties are consistent with accretion in a cataclysmic variable (CV) binary system. We classify LS IV -08 3 as a new member of the UX UMa subclass of CV stars., To be published in AJ, 16 pages, 6 figures. Uses AAS Latex

Chandra high energy resolution observations have now been obtained from numerous non-peculiar O and early B stars. The observed X-ray emission line properties differ from pre-launch predictions, and the interpretations are still problematic. We present a straightforward analysis of a broad collection of OB stellar line profile data to search for morphological trends. X-ray line emission parameters and the spatial distributions of derived quantities are examined with respect to luminosity class. The X-ray source locations and their corresponding temperatures are extracted by using the He-like f/i line ratios and the H-like to He-like line ratios respectively. Our luminosity class study reveals line widths increasing with luminosity. Although the majority of the OB emission lines are found to be symmetric, with little central line displacement, there is evidence for small, but finite, blue-ward line-shifts that also increase with luminosity. The spatial X-ray temperature distributions indicate that the highest temperatures occur near the star and steadily decrease outward. This trend is most pronounced in the OB supergiants. For the lower density wind stars, both high and low X-ray source temperatures exist near the star. However, we find no evidence of any high temperature X-ray emission in the outer wind regions for any OB star. Since the temperature distributions are counter to basic shock model predictions, we call this the "near-star high-ion problem" for OB stars. By invoking the traditional OB stellar mass loss rates, we find a good correlation between the fir-inferred radii and their associated X-ray continuum optical depth unity radii. We conclude by presenting some possible explanations to the X-ray source problems that have been revealed by this study., Comment: Published in 2007, ApJ, 668, 456. An Erratum scheduled for publication in 2008, ApJ, 680, is included as an Appendix. The Erratum corrects some tabulated data in 5 tables and 2 figures

The advent of ALMA is bound to improve our knowledge of OB star formation dramatically. Here, we present an overview of this topic outlining how high angular resolution and sensitivity may contribute to shed light on the structure of high-mass star forming regions and hence on the process itself of massive star formation. The impact of this new generation instrument will range from establishing the mass function of pre-stellar cores inside IR-dark clouds, to investigating the kinematics of the gas from which OB stars are built up, to assessing or ruling out the existence of circumstellar accretion disks in these objects.

We present models in which the photoevaporation of discs around young stars by an external ultraviolet source (as computed by Adams et al 2004) is coupled with the internal viscous evolution of the discs. These models are applied to the case of the Orion Nebula Cluster, where the presence of a strong ultraviolet field from the central OB stars, together with a detailed census of circumstellar discs and photoevaporative flows, is well established. In particular we investigate the constraints that are placed on the initial disc properties in the ONC by the twin requirement that most stars possess a disc on a scale of a few A.U., but that only a minority ($< 20 %$) are resolved by HST at a scale of 50 A.U.. We find that these requirements place very weak constraints on the initial radius distribution of circumstellar discs: the resulting size distribution readily forgets the initial radius distribution, owing to the strong positive dependence of the photoevaporation rate on disc radius. Instead, the scarcity of large discs reflects the relative scarcity of initially massive discs (with mass $> 0.1 M_\odot$). The ubiquity of discs on a small scale, on the other hand, mainly constrains the timespan over which the discs have been exposed to the ultraviolet field ($< 2 $Myr). We argue that the discs that are resolved by HST represent a population of discs in which self-gravity was important at the time that the dominant central OB star switched on, but that, according to our models, self-gravity is unlikely to be important in these discs at the present time. We discuss the implications of our results for the so-called proplyd lifetime problem., 8 pages, 5 figures, MNRAS accepted

We present a multiwavelength study of the central region of the Carina Nebula, including Trumpler 16 and part of Trumpler 14. Our analysis of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory archival data led to the identification of 454 X-ray sources. These sources were then cross-identified with optical photometric and spectroscopic information available from the literature and with newly obtained near-infrared (JHKs) imaging observations. A total of 38 known OB stars are found to be X-ray emitters. All the O stars and early-B stars follow the nominal relation between the X-ray and bolometric luminosities, LX ~ 10-7Lbol. A few mid- to late-B stars are found to be associated with X-ray emission, likely attributable to T Tauri companions. We discovered 16 OB star candidates that suffer a large extinction in the optical wave bands. Some 300 sources have the X-ray and infrared characteristics of late-type pre-main-sequence stars. Our sample represents the most comprehensive census of the young stellar population in the Carina Nebula so far and should be useful for the study of the star formation history of this massive starburst region. We also report the finding of a compact (2' ? 4') group of 10 relatively bright X-ray sources, all of which are detected in the near-infrared wavelengths and are highly reddened. The group is spatially coincident with the dark V-shaped dust lane bisecting the Carina Nebula and may be part of an embedded association. The distribution of the young stellar groups surrounding the H II region associated with Trumpler 16 is consistent with the collect-and-collapse scenario of triggered star formation.

We report the results of spectrophotometric observations of the massive star MN18 revealed via discovery of a bipolar nebula around it with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Using the optical spectrum obtained with the Southern African Large Telescope, we classify this star as B1 Ia. The evolved status of MN18 is supported by the detection of nitrogen overabundance in the nebula, which implies that it is composed of processed material ejected by the star. We analysed the spectrum of MN18 by using the code CMFGEN, obtaining a stellar effective temperature of \approx 21 kK. The star is highly reddened, E(B-V)\approx 2 mag. Adopting an absolute visual magnitude of M_V=-6.8\pm0.5 (typical of B1 supergiants), MN18 has a luminosity of log L/Lsun \approx 5.42\pm0.30, a mass-loss rate of \approx (2.8-4.5)\times10^{-7} Msun/yr, and resides at a distance of \approx 5.6^{+1.5} _{-1.2} kpc. We discuss the origin of the nebula around MN18 and compare it with similar nebulae produced by other blue supergiants in the Galaxy (Sher 25, HD 168625, [SBW2007] 1) and the Large Magellanic Cloud (Sk-69 202). The nitrogen abundances in these nebulae imply that blue supergiants can produce them from the main sequence stage up to the pre-supernova stage. We also present a K-band spectrum of the candidate luminous blue variable MN56 (encircled by a ring-like nebula) and report the discovery of an OB star at \approx 17 arcsec from MN18. The possible membership of MN18 and the OB star of the star cluster Lynga 3 is discussed., 21 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We investigate the possible effects of the supernova ejecta hitting the companion star in iPTF 13bvn, focusing on the observable features when it becomes visible. iPTF 13bvn is a type Ib supernova that may become the first case that its progenitor is identified as a binary by near future observations. According to calculations by Bersten et al. (2014), the progenitor should have a mass $\approx3.5M_\odot$ to reproduce the supernova light curve, and such compact stars could only be produced via binary evolution. This is one of the reasons that we expect the progenitor to be a binary, but it should be confirmed by observing the remaining companion after the supernova. Their evolutionary calculations suggest that the companion star will be an overluminous OB star at the moment of supernova. With a combination of hydrodynamical and evolutionary simulations, we find that the secondary star will be heated by the supernova ejecta and expand to have larger luminosities and lower surface effective temperatures. The star will look rather like a red super giant, and this should be taken into account when searching for the companion star in the supernova ejecta in future observations., few corrections made, published in ApJ

Multiple stars represent approximately 50 % of the stellar population, and as a result, have implications for the dynamics of young star clusters and associations. This chapter reviews several aspects of multiple star systems, namely the field solar-type multiple population, the field OB star multiple population, and finally the open cluster solar-type multiple population. We discuss each in terms of observed distributions and how these vary depending on their environment. Finally, we close with some thoughts concerning the significance of multiple star systems to the dynamics of young star clusters and associations, specifically how these can be used to further constrain star formation processes and whether these systems can be used as a tracer of identifying the origin of the field population.

The ONC appears to be unusual on two grounds: The observed constellation of the OB stars of the entire Orion Nebula cluster and its Trapezium at its centre implies a time-scale problem given the age of the Trapezium, and an IMF problem for the whole OB star population in the ONC. Given the estimated crossing time of the Trapezium, it ought to have totally dynamically decayed by now. Furthermore, by combining the lower limit of the ONC mass with a standard IMF it emerges that the ONC should have formed at least about 40 stars heavier than 5 M_sun while only ten are observed. Using N-body experiments we (i) confirm the expected instability of the trapezium and (ii) show that beginning with a compact OB-star configuration of about 40 stars the number of observed OB stars after 1 Myr within 1 pc radius and a compact trapezium configuration can both be reproduced. These two empirical constraints thus support our estimate of 40 initial OB stars in the cluster. Interestingly, a more-evolved version of the ONC resembles the Upper Scorpius OB association. The N-body experiments are performed with the new C-code CATENA by integrating the equations of motion using the chain-multiple-regularisation method. In addition, we present a new numerical formulation of the initial mass function., Accepted by MNRAS, 11 pages, 5 figures

We have studied variability of the spectral lines of the OB star $\delta $Ori A--the brightest component of the $\delta $Ori triple system. Forty spectra with signal-to-noise ratios $\approx$500--800 and a time resolution of four minutes were obtained. We detected variability in the HeII$ \lambda 4686$, HeI$ \lambda $4713 and H$\beta$ absorption and the CIII$ \lambda $5696 emission line profiles. The amplitude of the variability is $\approx$(0.5--1)% of the continuum intensity. The dynamical wavelet spectrum of the profile variations reveals large-scale components in the interval 25--50 km/s that move within the -$V\sin i$ to $V\sin i$ band for the primary star of the system, Aa$^1$, with a band crossing time of 4$^h$--5$^h$. However, some of the variable features go outside the band, presumably due to either imhomogeneities in the stellar wind from $\delta $Ori Aa$^1$ or non-radial pulsations of the weaker components of the system, Aa$^2$ or Ab. The detected variability may by cyclic with a period of $\approx 4^h$ . We suggest that it is associated with non-radial pulsations of the primary in the sector mode $(l, m)=(2,-2)$.

In this second paper, we pursue the analysis of the 180 ks XMM-Newton campaign towards the young open cluster NGC 6231 and we focus on its rich OB star population. We present a literature-based census of the OB stars in the field of view with more than one hundred objects, among which 30% can be associated with an X-ray source. All the O-type stars are detected in the X-ray domain as soft and reasonably strong emitters. In the 0.5-10.0 keV band, their X-ray luminosities scale with their bolometric luminosities as $\log L_\mathrm{X} - \log L_\mathrm{bol}=-6.912\pm0.153$. Such a scaling law holds in the soft (0.5-1.0 keV) and intermediate (1.0-2.5 keV) bands but breaks down in the hard band. While the two colliding wind binaries in our sample clearly deviate from this scheme, the remaining O-type objects show a very limited dispersion (40% or 20% according to whether `cool' dwarfs are included or not), much smaller than that obtained from previous studies. At our detection threshold and within our sample, the sole identified mechanism that produces significant modulations in the O star X-ray emission is related to wind interaction. The intrinsic X-ray emission of non-peculiar O-type stars seems thus constant for a given star and the level of its X-ray emission is accurately related to the its luminosity or, equivalently, to its wind properties. Among B-type stars, the detection rate is only about 25% in the sub-type range B0-B4 and remains mostly uniform throughout the different sub-populations while it drops significantly at later sub-types. The associated X-ray spectra are harder than those of O-type stars. Our analysis points towards the detected emission being associated with a physical PMS companion >... [see paper for the complete abstract], 21 pages, 14 figures, Table 2 and Figs 2 to 5 will be available through the CDS only, accepted for publication by MNRAS, Fig 1 not included in the present preprint because of size limitations

Nitrogen abundance inhomogeneities are present among main-sequence stars in globular clusters of the Milky Way. Since N-rich cluster dwarfs are unlikely to have nucleosynthesized nitrogen within their own interiors, they presumably obtained their excess N from elsewhere. If the abundance inhomogeneities are due to the self-enrichment of a globular cluster, then the earliest source of nitrogen could have been massive cluster OB stars and Wolf-Rayet stars of type N. Several obstacles to WN stars' being a viable enrichment mode for globular clusters are discussed: (1) a W-R phase may have been inhibited for metal-poor OB stars, due to the low mass-loss rates expected of their radiatively driven winds, and (2) unless globular clusters had top-heavy stellar mass functions, their WN stars would have been too few in number to explain the amount of CNO-processed material in their nitrogen-rich, low-mass stars. In contrast, it is pointed out that OB stars in their main-sequence and supergiant phases of evolution might also eject CNO-processed material even if they do not evolve through a WN phase, while W-R stars have been discovered in some metal-poor dwarf galaxies and starburst galaxies. In addition, low metallicities could favor the production of WN stars over WC stars, and this could explain why the abundance inhomogeneities in Milky Way globular clusters generally involve excesses of CNO-processed material. One scenario is discussed in which globular clusters form at the interface between massive, colliding gas clouds. If such clouds have masses comparable to dwarf galaxies, with relative velocities characteristic of the Galactic halo, then the collision process could drive gas into an accreting protocluster at a rate that is sufficient to complete cluster formation within several million years. This timescale could allow nitrogen-rich wind ejecta from WN or OB stars to be incorporated into later cluster star formation. The ram pressure associated with a colliding-cloud environment might not only confine the stellar wind ejecta, but also funnel it into sites of active star formation within the protocluster. In this picture, globular clusters form as open systems with gas continuing to flow into them from a greater cloud-merger environment while star formation is occurring. In such a circumstance, not only may cluster WN and OB stars have promoted enrichment, but wind ejecta from massive stars that are external to the protocluster may also have been acquired.

The water-vapor maser emission in the source G10.6-0.4 associated with an active starforming region (OB star cluster) is analyzed. The maser was monitored from 1981–2004 using the 22-meter radio telescope of the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory. Statistical processing of the results revealed the presence of structural formations on various scales. The individual H2O maser features may form ordered structures with velocity (V LSR) gradients, localized in separate clusters of maser features. The statistical variations of the V LSR values for the maser components may be due to the accretion of material onto the OB star cluster in G10.6-0.4 together with the rotation of the molecular cloud core. A model with a rotating, nonuniform condensation of accreted material in the vicinity of the stellar cluster is proposed to explain the variations of the velocity centroid of the H2O spectra. The integrated flux variations are explained well by a model in which the central source is an OB star cluster, possibly containing five to six stars. An important role in the evolution of the maser emission, as well as of the source as a whole, may be played by turbulent motions of the gas.

X-ray spectroscopy of several OB stars with massive winds has revealed that many X-ray line profiles exhibit unexpectedly small blueshifts and are almost symmetric. Moreover, the hottest X-ray lines appear to originate closest to the star. These properties appear to be inconsistent with the standard model of X-rays originating in shocked material in line-driven spherically symmetric winds. Here we raise the question, can the X-ray line data be understood in terms of a two-component wind? We consider a scenario in which one component of the wind is a standard line-driven wind that emerges from a broad range of latitudes centered on the equator. The second component of the wind emerges from magnetically active regions in extensive polar caps. The existence of such polar caps is suggested by a recent model of dynamo action in massive stars. We describe how the two-component model is consistent with a variety of observational properties of OB star winds.

A Monte Carlo method for detection of runaway OB stars from observational data is proposed. 61 runaway OB star candidates have been detected by an analysis of Hipparcos proper motions. The peculiar tangential and total transverse velocities have been determined for these stars. A list of the detected runaway star candidates is presented. The evidence of a discrepancy between photometric and parallactic distances of runaway OB star candidates is presented.

We have investigated the relation between the orbital period Porb and the spin period Ps of neutron stars in OB/X-ray binaries. By simulating the time- development of the mass loss rate and radius expansion of a 20M donor star, we have calculated the detailed spin evolution of the neutron star before steady wind accretion occurs (that is, when the break spin period is reached), or when the OB star begins evolving o the main sequence or has filled its Roche lobe. Our results are compatible with the observations of OB/X-ray binaries. We find that in relatively narrow systems with orbital periods less than tens of days, neutron stars with initial magnetic field B0 stronger than about 3◊10 12 G can reach the break spin period to allow steady wind accretion in the main sequence time, whereas neutron stars with B0 < 3 ◊ 10 12 G and/or in wide systems would still be in one of the pulsar, rapid rotator or propeller phases when the companion evolves o the main sequence or fills its Roche lobe. Our results may help understand the various characteristics of the observed OB/neutron star binaries along with their distributions in the Ps Porb diagram.

There is accumulating evidence for a strong link between nuclear starbursts and AGN. Molecular gas in the central regions of galaxies plays a critical role in fueling nuclear starburst activity and feeding central AGN. The dense molecular ISM is accreted to the nuclear regions by stellar bars and galactic interactions. Here we describe recent observational results for the OB star forming regions in M51 and the nuclear star burst in Arp 220 - both of which have approximately the same rate of star formation per unit mass of ISM. We suggest that the maximum efficiency for forming young stars is an Eddington-like limit imposed by the radiation pressure of newly formed stars acting on the interstellar dust. This limit corresponds to approximately 500 for optically thick regions in which the radiation has been degraded to the NIR. Interestingly, we note that some of the same considerations can be important in AGN where the source of fuel is provided by stellar evolution mass-loss or ISM accretion. Most of the stellar mass-loss occurs from evolving red giant stars and whether their mass-loss can be accreted to a central AGN or not depends on the radiative opacity of the mass-loss material. The latter depends on whether the dust survives or is sublimated (due to radiative heating). This, in turn, is determined by the AGN luminosity and the distance of the mass-loss stars from the AGN. Several AGN phenomena such as the broad emission and absorption lines may arise in this stellar mass-loss material. The same radiation pressure limit to the accretion may arise if the AGN fuel is from the ISM since the ISM dust-to-gas ratio is the same as that of stellar mass-loss.

We present mid-IR 21micron images of a sample of radio selected Ultracompact HII (UCHII) regions, obtained with the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX). All, with one possible exception, are detected at mid-IR wavelengths, sampling the warm dust emission of the cocoons of the OB star central exciting sources. Many of the UCHII regions have nearby (up to a few pc distant) companion dust emission sources, which represent other potential star birth sites. In some objects the companion dominates the IRAS point source catalogue entry for the UCHII region. We compare the mid- and far-IR dust emission, measuring the embedded hot star luminosity, with published UCHII radio emission, measuring the Lyman continuum luminosity. We find a spectral type dependence, as predicted by the standard model of an ultracompact ionized hydrogen region, surrounded by a natal dust shell, with some scatter, which can be understood by consideration of: 1) dust absorption of some fraction of the emitted Lyman continuum photons; 2) fainter companion stars within the UCHII region; 3) the structure of the UCHII regions differing from star to star. Overall, the higher spatial resolution offered by MSX alleviates difficulties often encountered by comparison of IRAS far-IR fluxes with radio derived ionizing fluxes for UCHII regions., 22 pages, 15 figures (including 8 in Appendix), submitted to MNRAS

We discovered that the Wolf-Rayet (WR)+OB star binary, WR 104, renowned for its associated "dusty pinwheel nebula" recently spatially resolved with infrared interferometry, exhibits strong quasi-periodic optical variations with a full amplitude of 2.7 mag. Such a large-amplitude, continuous variation has been unprecedented in a WR star. The optical quasi-period (~241 d) is in almost perfect agreement with the interferometric period (243.5+/-3 d). The remarkable agreement of the dominant period in optical variability with the orbital period supports that the strongly varying dust obscuration is physically related to the binary motion, rather than sporadic dust-forming episodes. Considering the low orbital inclination (11+/-7 deg) and the nearly circular orbit inferred from the interferometric observations, the strongly variable line-of-sight extinction suggests that the highly structured extinction can be being formed via an ejection of dust in the direction of the binary rotation axis. Another viable explanation is that the three-dimensional structure of the shock front, itself is the obscuring body. Depending on the geometry, the dusty shock front near the conjunction phase of the binary can completely obscure the inner WR-star wind and the OB star, which can explain the amplitude of optical fading and the past observation of remarkable spectral variation., 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in PASJ (Letters), using an alternative style file

Stellar evolution models of massive stars are very sensitive to the adopted mass-loss scheme. The magnitude and evolution of mass-loss rates significantly affect the main sequence evolution, and the properties of post-main sequence objects, including their rotational velocities. Driven by potential discrepancies between theoretically predicted and observationally derived mass-loss rates in the OB star range, we particularly aim to investigate the response to mass-loss rates that are lower than currently adopted, in parallel with the mass-loss behavior at the "first" bi-stability jump. We perform 1D hydrodynamical model calculations of single $20 - 60 \, M_{\odot}$ Galactic ($Z = 0.014$) stars where the effects of stellar winds are already significant during the main sequence phase. We develop an experimental wind routine to examine the behavior and response of the models under the influence of different mass-loss rates. This observationally guided, simple and flexible wind routine is not a new mass-loss description but a useful tool based on the Wind-momentum Luminosity Relation and other scaling relations, and provides a meaningful base for various tests and comparisons. The main result of this study indicates a dichotomy when accounting for currently debated problems regarding mass-loss rates of hot massive stars. In a fully diffusive approach, and for commonly adopted initial rotational velocities, lower mass-loss rates than theoretically predicted require to invoke an additional source of angular momentum loss (either due to bi-stability braking, or yet unidentified) to brake down surface rotational velocities. [...]

We present the first quantitative UV spectroscopic analysis of resolved OB stars in IC1613. Because of its alleged very low metallicity (, Comment: ApJ, accepted. 50 pages, 13 figures

The spatial distribution of the youngest pulsars, with a characteristic age of less than 12,000 years, is considered. All the pulsars except for the pulsar in the Crab Nebula lie in groups of young OB stars. It is suggested that the precursor of the Crab pulsar was a rapidly rotating, massive OB star. The group of young massive stars from which the fast-moving star was ejected is indicated. Estimates of the age of the precursor of the Crab pulsar and of the age of the group of young stars from which it was ejected favor this hypothesis. It is concluded that the fast-moving star must have acquired a high velocity due to the dynamical evolution of the young stellar group.

We are trying to probe conditions in the youngest super star clusters, those still embedded in dense obscuring clouds. The hydrogen recombination lines in the radio and infrared can be observed through the obscuration, as the optical and UV lines cannot, and give us the kinematics of the ionized gas. The line profiles of the clusters resemble superpositions of the lines of many very young ultra-compact or hyper-compact HII regions. This can be explained if each OB star is individually embedded in dense material which it is accreting, even as it ionizes. We speculate on what this implies for conditions in the clusters.

We show that in many methanol maser sources the masers are located in lines, with a velocity gradient along them which suggests that the masers are situated in edge-on circumstellar, or protoplanetary, disks. We present VLBI observations of the methanol maser source G309.92+0.48, in the 12.2 GHz transition, which confirm previous observations that the masers in this source lie along a line. We show that such sources are not only linear in space but, in many cases, also have a linear velocity gradient. We then model these and other data in both the 6.7 GHz and the 12.2 GHz transition from a number of star formation regions, and show that the observed spatial and velocity distribution of methanol masers, and the derived Keplerian masses, are consistent with a circumstellar disk rotating around an OB star. We consider this and other hypotheses, and conclude that about half of these methanol masers are probably located in edge-on circumstellar disks around young stars. This is of particular significance for studies of circumstellar disks because of the detailed velocity information available from the masers., 38 pages, 13 figures accepted by ApJ

We examine the spectral characteristics of normal OB stars with high–signal-to-noise ratio (>120) H-band (1.6 μm) spectra at a resolution of 2000. We find that several atomic lines vary smoothly with stellar temperature, as first shown by Blum et al. However, we find a previously unreported, significant variation in the strength of some of these lines with stellar luminosity. B supergiant stars show stronger He I and weaker Br 11 as compared with low-luminosity B dwarf stars of the same spectral class. It is for this reason that luminosity class must also be determined to obtain an accurate spectral type for a given star using H-band spectra. We suggest a method for estimating the spectral type and luminosity of an OB star over the wavelength range from 1.66 to 1.72 μm using hydrogen Br 11 at 1.681 μm, He I at 1.700 μm, and He II at 1.693 μm. The use of the near-infrared spectral range for classification has obvious advantages over optical classification when applied to heavily reddened stars, such as in star-forming regions or deeply embedded lines of sight within the plane of the Galaxy, such as the Galactic center. Furthermore, the H band is less likely to be contaminated by infrared excess emission, which is frequently seen around massive young stellar objects beyond 2 μm.

The Rosette complex is a well studied region of the galactic plane which presents the apparent characteristics of a triggered star forming region. This is however still debated as no strong evidence corroborates this statement. We focus on characterizing the young stellar population in the Rosette complex to improve our understanding of the processes that regulate the star formation in this region. We propose an original method that relies on the joint analysis of the star color and density in the near-infrared. It leads to mapping the molecular cloud spatial distribution and detecting the embedded clusters with their characterization in terms of member number and age estimation. We have identified 13 clusters, 2 of which are new discoveries, and we estimate that the total number of young stellar objects in the Rosette ranges between 4000 and 8000 members. We find that the age distribution of the young clusters is not consistent with a general triggered scenario for the star formation in this molecular cloud. This study proves that the Rosette complex evolution is not governed by the influence of its OB star population. It suggests that the simple morphological appearance of an active region is not sufficient to conclude much about the triggering role in the star formation process. Our method of constraining the cluster properties using UKIDSS and WISE data has proven efficient, and studies of other regions of the galactic plane would definitely benefit from this approach., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 11 pages, 10 figures. Language edited version

MYStIX (Massive Young Star-Forming Complex Study in Infrared and Xray) seeks to characterize 20 OB-dominated young clusters and their environs at distances d < 4 kpc using imaging detectors on the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Spitzer Space Telescope, and the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope. The observational goals are to construct catalogs of star-forming complex stellar members with well-defined criteria, and maps of nebular gas (particularly of hot X-ray emitting plasma) and dust. A catalog of MYStIX Probable Complex Members (MPCMs) with several hundred OB stars and > 30, 000 low mass premain sequence is assembled. This sample and related data products will be used to seek new empirical constraints on theoretical models of cluster formation and dynamics, mass segregation, OB star formation, star formation triggering on the periphery of HII regions, the survivability of protoplanetary disks in HII regions. This paper give an introduction and overview of the project, covering the data analysis methodology and application to two star forming regions, NGC 2264 and the Trifid Nebula., 74 pages, 10 figures. To appear in Astrophysical Journal Supplements (with 6 other MYStIX papers). A version with complete figures is available at http://www.astro.psu.edu/mystix