The Orion OB1 Association I. Stellar content

Abstract

Walraven photometry of established and probable members of the Orion OB1 association is presented. Effective temperature, surface gravity, luminosity and mass are derived for all stars, using atmosphere models by Kurucz (1979). Absolute magnitudes are calculated using the Straizys and Kuriliene (1981) tables. Distance moduli and visual extinctions are determined. A comparison of the visual extinctions to IRAS $100\um$ data shows that the near edge of the Orion A and B clouds lies at a distance of $\sim 320\pc$, while the far edge is at $\sim 500\pc$. A method for deriving the ages of the subgroups by comparing theoretical isochrones to the observations in the log g, log T plane is presented. The derived ages suggest, contrary to earlier studies, that subgroup 1b is younger than 1c, which can possibly be explained by past geometries of the system of stars and gas. The initial mass function for Orion OB1 is derived with the aid of the Kolmogorov-Smirnoff test. Through extensive simulations, we show that it is very difficult to derive accurately the IMF from the available data. To within somewhat weak limits the IMF is found to be of the form $ξ(\log M)=AM^{-1.7\pm 0.2}$ for all subgroups. The energy output of the subgroups in the form of stellar winds and supernovae is calculated and compared to the observed size and expansion velocity of the Orion-Eridanus bubble. It is shown that the energy output of the association can account for the morphology and kinematics of the ISM.