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arXiv · 1701.06653

Candidate X-ray-Emitting OB Stars in the MYStIX Massive Star-Forming Regions

Matthew S. Povich·Heather A. Busk·Eric D. Feigelson·Leisa K. Townsley·Michael A. Kuhn
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Abstract

Massive, O and early B-type (OB) stars remain incompletely catalogued in the nearby Galaxy due to high extinction, bright visible and infrared nebular emission in H II regions, and high field star contamination. These difficulties are alleviated by restricting the search to stars with X-ray emission. Using the X-ray point sources from the Massive Young star-forming complex Study in Infrared and X-rays (MYStIX) survey of OB-dominated regions, we identify 98 MYStIX candidate OB (MOBc) stars by fitting their 1-8 micron spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with reddened stellar atmosphere models. We identify 27 additional MOBc stars based on JHK photometry of X-ray stars lacking SED fitting. These candidate OB stars indicate that the current census of stars earlier than B1, taken across the 18 MYStIX regions studied, is less than 50% complete. We also fit the SEDs of 239 previously-published OB stars to measure interstellar extinction and bolometric luminosities, revealing six candidate massive binary systems and five candidate O-type (super)giants. As expected, candidate OB stars have systematically higher extinction than previously-published OB stars. Notable results for individual regions include: identification of the OB population of a recently discovered massive cluster in NGC 6357; an older OB association in the M17 complex; and new massive luminous O stars near the Trifid Nebula. In several relatively poorly-studied regions (RCW 38, NGC 6334, NGC 6357, Trifid, and NGC 3576), the OB populations may increase by factors of >2.

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Matthew S. Povich, Heather A. Busk, Eric D. Feigelson, Leisa K. Townsley, Michael A. Kuhn. 2017-01-23. Candidate X-ray-Emitting OB Stars in the MYStIX Massive Star-Forming Regions. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357%2Faa5b99

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