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Giacomo Beccari

Publications and source records attributed to Giacomo Beccari.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

X-shooter survey Across Regions and Ages to probe Disk Evolution (ARADE): Accretion properties in Orion A and their relation with disk masses

We present a homogeneous VLT/X-Shooter study of accretion in young stellar objects spanning the entire Orion A complex. Our sample includes 91 pre-main-sequence stars hosting a protoplanetary disk according to Spitzer photometry, of which 34 have complementary ALMA dust mass measurements. We derived stellar and accretion properties using a self-consistent multi-component fitting procedure. Our sample encompasses spectral types from K3 down to M5, corresponding to stellar masses within $\sim$0.8-0.1 $M_{\odot}$. The accretion-stellar luminosity ($L_{acc}-L_{\star}$) and the mass accretion rate-stellar mass ($\dot{M}_{acc}-M_{\star}$) scaling relations in Orion A are consistent with those of other star-forming regions (SFRs) that span a range of stellar densities, far-ultraviolet (FUV) irradiation fields, and ages, with all regions occupying the same locus in parameter space. For the 34 sources with complementary dust mass measurements, we present the first investigation of the $\dot{M}_{acc}$ and disk mass ($M_{disk}$) correlation in Orion A, recovering a spread consistent with that reported for other regions. Despite our sample spanning nearly five orders of magnitude in local FUV field strength, we find no statistically significant correlation between $\dot{M}_{acc}$ and FUV irradiation. However, by combining our sample with literature measurements in Lupus, the Orion Nebula Cluster, and $\sigma$ Orionis, we find a tentative population-level decrease of the inferred disk lifetime $t_{\rm disk} =M_{disk}/\dot{M}_{acc}$ toward stronger FUV environments, though large intrinsic scatter and limited sample sizes at intermediate and high FUV fields prevent firm conclusions. The homogeneous $\dot{M}_{acc}$ measurements reported here provide a solid foundation for future studies of accretion and disk evolution across the diverse environments of Orion A and other SFRs.

astro-ph.SR

Far-ultraviolet flux distribution in Orion and its relation to stellar accretion

Orion is the closest region hosting active star formation and young OBA stars. Computing far-ultraviolet (FUV) fluxes at its stars is essential to connect stellar and protoplanetary disc properties to the environment. We (1) accurately estimated the FUV flux at a large sample of stars in Orion by statistically accounting for the uncertainty in parallax measurements, and (2) investigated the relation between stellar accretion and external FUV flux by comparing observations and disc evolution models. We selected a large stellar population in Orion, assigned sub-cluster memberships and used 2D dimensional sub-cluster geometry to infer 3D separations from OBA stars and compute the FUV flux at stellar positions. We studied the accretion luminosities Lacc inferred from Ha emission in Gaia XP spectra of Orion sources and determined their detection fraction as a function of age and FUV flux. We compared the results with population synthesis models of viscous discs experiencing external photoevaporation. We provided a publicly available table of FUV fluxes at ~8600 stars in Orion. Most of the stellar population is weakly irradiated <10^{2} G0, ~35% is intermediately irradiated 10^{2}-10^{4} G0, and ~5% has FUV fluxes >10^{4} G0. Gaia-based Lacc decreases with age, and Ha detection fraction declines more rapidly in regions with strong FUV fluxes than in regions exposed to weaker FUV fluxes, broadly consistent with the model. This may suggest that external photoevaporation efficiently depletes strongly FUV-irradiated accretion discs, but it is not sufficient to reliably confirm this conclusion. The provided tools for computing FUV fluxes at Orion stars will be essential for future observations aimed at assessing the role of external photoevaporation on discs. We encourage measurements of stellar and disc properties in Orion, covering FUV fluxes 1-10^5 G0.

astro-ph.SR

A binary-related origin mediated by environmental conditions for blue straggler stars

Blue stragglers are anomalously massive core hydrogen-burning stars that, according to the theory of single star evolution, should not exist. They are suspected to form in mass-enhancement processes, involving binary evolution or stellar collisions. In dynamically active systems like globular clusters, the number of blue stragglers originated by collisions is expected to increase with the local density and the rate of stellar encounters. Here we analyse more than 3000 blue stragglers in 48 Galactic globular clusters with different structures, finding that their number normalized to the sampled luminosity anti-correlates (instead of correlating) with the central density, collision rate, and dynamical age of the parent cluster. Similar trends are also found for the cluster binary fraction. Once inserted in the context of the current knowledge of the BSS phenomenon, these correlations indicate that low-density regions (possibly because of a higher binary production/survival rate) are the natural habitat of both BSSs and binary systems, and the observed BSSs mostly have a binary-related origin mediated by the environmental conditions.

astro-ph.SR

The past, present and future of observations of externally irradiated disks

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in the community studying the effect of ultraviolet radiation environment, predominantly set by OB stars, on protoplanetary disc evolution and planet formation. This is important because a significant fraction of planetary systems, potentially including our own, formed in close proximity to OB stars. This is a rapidly developing field, with a broad range of observations across many regions recently obtained or recently scheduled. In this paper, stimulated by a series of workshops on the topic, we take stock of the current and upcoming observations. We discuss how the community can build on this recent success with future observations to make progress in answering the big questions of the field, with the broad goal of disentangling how external photoevaporation contributes to shaping the observed (exo)planet population. Both existing and future instruments offer numerous opportunities to make progress towards this goal.

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The Smallest Scale of Hierarchy Survey (SSH) III. Dwarf-dwarf satellite merging phenomena in the low-mass regime

We present new deep, wide-field Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) $g$ and $r$ imaging data from the Smallest Scale of Hierarchy Survey (SSH) revealing previously undetected tidal features and stellar streams in the outskirts of six dwarf irregular galaxies (NGC 5238, UGC 6456, UGC 6541, UGC 7605, UGC 8638, and UGC 8760) with stellar masses in the range $1.2 \times 10^7$ M$_{\odot}$ to $1.4 \times 10^8$ M$_{\odot}$. The six dwarfs are located 1-2 Mpc away from large galaxies, implying that the observed distortions are unlikely to be due to tidal effects from a nearby, massive companion. At the dwarfs' distances of $\sim$3-4 Mpc, the identified tidal features are all resolved into individual stars in the LBT images and appear to be made of a population older than 1-2 Gyr, excluding the possibility that they result from irregular and asymmetric star formation episodes that are common in gas-rich dwarf galaxies. The most plausible explanation is that we are witnessing the hierarchical merging assembling of these dwarfs with their satellite populations, a scenario also supported by the peculiar morphology and disturbed velocity field of their HI component. From the SSH sample we estimate a fraction of late type dwarfs showing signs of merging with satellites of $\sim$13\%, in agreement with other recent independent studies and theoretical predictions within the $Λ$CDM cosmological framework.

astro-ph.GA

The population of young low-mass stars in Trumpler 14

Massive star-forming regions are thought to be the most common birth environments in the Galaxy and the only birth places of very massive stars. Their presence in the stellar cluster alters the conditions within the cluster impacting at the same time the evolution of other cluster members. In principle, copious amounts of ultraviolet radiation produced by massive stars can remove material from outer parts of the protoplanetary disks around low- and intermediate-mass stars in the process of external photoevaporation, effectively reducing the planet-formation capabilities of those disks. Here, we present deep VLT/MUSE observations of low-mass stars in Trumpler 14, one of the most massive, young, and compact clusters in the Carina Nebula Complex. We provide spectral and stellar properties of 717 sources and based on the distribution of stellar ages derive the cluster age of $\sim$1~Myr. The majority of the stars in our sample have masses $\leqslant$1~$M_\odot$, what makes our spectroscopic catalogue the most deep to date in term of masses, and proves that detailed investigations of low-mass stars are possible in the massive but distant regions. Spectroscopic studies of low-mass members of the whole Carina Nebula Complex are missing. Our work provides an important step forward towards filling this gap and set the stage for follow-up investigation of accretion properties in Trumpler 14.

astro-ph.SR

Fast rotating Blue Stragglers prefer loose clusters

Blue stragglers are anomalously luminous core hydrogen-burning stars formed through mass-transfer in binary/triple systems and stellar collisions. Their physical and evolutionary properties are largely unknown and unconstrained. Here we analyze 320 high-resolution spectra of blue stragglers collected in eight galactic globular clusters with different structural characteristics and show evidence that the fraction of fast rotating blue stragglers (with rotational velocities larger than 40 km/s) increases for decreasing central density of the host system. This trend suggests that fast spinning blue stragglers prefer low-density environments and promises to open an unexplored route towards understanding the evolutionary processes of these stars. Since large rotation rates are expected in the early stages of both formation channels, our results provide direct evidence for recent blue straggler formation activity in low-density environments and put strong constraints on the timescale of the collisional blue straggler slow-down processes.

astro-ph.SR

Reflections on nebulae around young stars: A systematic search for late-stage infall of material onto Class II disks

Context. While it is generally assumed that Class II sources evolve largely in isolation from their environment, many still lie close to molecular clouds and may continue to interact with them. This may result in late accretion of material onto the disk that can significantly influence disk processes and planet formation. Aims. In order to systematically study late infall of gas onto disks, we identify candidate Class II sources in close vicinity to a reflection nebula (RN) that may be undergoing this process. Methods. First we targeted Class II sources with known kilo-au scale gas structures - possibly due to late infall of material - and we searched for RNe in their vicinity in optical and near-infrared images. Second, we compiled a catalogue of Class II sources associated with RNe and looked for the large-scale CO structures in archival ALMA data. Using the catalogues of protostars and RNe, we also estimated the probability of Class II sources interacting with surrounding material. Results. All of the sources with large-scale gas structures also exhibit some reflection nebulosity in their vicinity. Similarly, at least five Class II objects associated with a prominent RNe, and for which adequate ALMA observations are available, were found to have spirals or stream-like structures which may be due to late infall. We report the first detection of these structures around S CrA. Conclusions. Our results suggest that a non-negligible fraction of Class II disks in nearby star-forming regions may be associated with RNe and could therefore be undergoing late accretion of gas. Surveys of RNe and kilo-au scale gas structures around Class II sources will allow us to better understand the frequency and impact of late-infall phenomena.

astro-ph.SR

The dynamical state of the globular clusters Rup 106 and IC 4499

The dynamical evolution of globular clusters is theoretically described by a series of well known events typical of N-body systems. Still, the identification of observational signatures able to empirically describe the stage of dynamical evolution of a stellar system of the density typical of a globular cluster, represents a challenge. In this paper we study the dynamical age of the globular clusters Rup 106 and IC 4499. To this aim, we study the radial distribution of the Blue Straggler Stars via the A+ parameter and of the slope of the Main Sequence Mass Function. Both tracers show that Rup 106 and IC 4499 are dynamically young clusters where dynamical friction has just started to segregate massive stars towards the clusters' centre. In fact, we observe that the Blue Straggler stars are more centrally concentrated in both clusters than the reference population. On the same line, we find that in both cases the slope of the mass function significantly decreases as a function of the cluster-centric distances. This result provides additional support for the use of the the radial distribution of the blue stragglers as a powerful observationally convenient indicator of the cluster dynamical age.

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Asymmetrical tidal tails of open star clusters: stars crossing their cluster's prah challenge Newtonian gravitation

After their birth a significant fraction of all stars pass through the tidal threshold (prah) of their cluster of origin into the classical tidal tails. The asymmetry between the number of stars in the leading and trailing tails tests gravitational theory. All five open clusters with tail data (Hyades, Praesepe, Coma Berenices, COIN-Gaia 13, NGC 752) have visibly more stars within dcl = 50 pc of their centre in their leading than their trailing tail. Using the Jerabkova-compact-convergent-point (CCP) method, the extended tails have been mapped out for four nearby 600-2000 Myr old open clusters to dcl>50 pc. These are on near-circular Galactocentric orbits, a formula for estimating the orbital eccentricity of an open cluster being derived. Applying the Phantom of Ramses code to this problem, in Newtonian gravitation the tails are near-symmetrical. In Milgromian dynamics (MOND) the asymmetry reaches the observed values for 50 < dcl/pc < 200, being maximal near peri-galacticon, and can slightly invert near apo-galacticon, and the Küpper epicyclic overdensities are asymmetrically spaced. Clusters on circular orbits develop orbital eccentricity due to the asymmetrical spill-out, therewith spinning up opposite to their orbital angular momentum. This positive dynamical feedback suggests Milgromian open clusters to demise rapidly as their orbital eccentricity keeps increasing. Future work is necessary to better delineate the tidal tails around open clusters of different ages and to develop a Milgromian direct n-body code.

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The Present and Future of Astronomy (ASTRO2022)

Being one of the most fascinating and ancient sciences, astronomy has always played a special role in society. In 2022 ESO organised an online conference to offer the community a platform to discuss astronomical topics of sociological and philosophical relevance in a professional atmosphere. The talks touched on several crucial aspects, moving from the methodology of science to the use of metrics, to the importance of diversity in evaluation processes, and to the link between astronomy and society.

astro-ph.IM

Young, blue, and isolated stellar systems in the Virgo Cluster. II. A new class of stellar system

We discuss five blue stellar systems in the direction of the Virgo cluster, analogous to the enigmatic object SECCO 1 (AGC 226067). These objects were identified based on their optical and UV morphology and followed up with HI observations with the VLA (and GBT), MUSE/VLT optical spectroscopy, and HST imaging. These new data indicate that one system is a distant group of galaxies. The remaining four are extremely low mass ($M_\ast \sim 10^5 \; \mathrm{M_\odot}$), are dominated by young, blue stars, have highly irregular and clumpy morphologies, are only a few kpc across, yet host an abundance of metal-rich, $12 + \log (\mathrm{O/H}) > 8.2$, HII regions. These high metallicities indicate that these stellar systems formed from gas stripped from much more massive galaxies. Despite the young age of their stellar populations, only one system is detected in HI, while the remaining three have minimal (if any) gas reservoirs. Furthermore, two systems are surprisingly isolated and have no plausible parent galaxy within $\sim$30' ($\sim$140 kpc). Although tidal stripping cannot be conclusively excluded as the formation mechanism of these objects, ram pressure stripping more naturally explains their properties, in particular their isolation, owing to the higher velocities, relative to the parent system, that can be achieved. Therefore, we posit that most of these systems formed from ram pressure stripped gas removed from new infalling cluster members, and survived in the intracluster medium long enough to become separated from their parent galaxies by hundreds of kiloparsecs, and that they thus represent a new type of stellar system.

astro-ph.GA

A tale of caution: the tails of NGC 752 are much longer than claimed

Understanding the exact extent and content of tidal tails of open clusters provide useful clues on how field stars populate the Milky Way. We reanalyse, using Gaia EDR3 data, the tails around the open cluster NGC 752. Compared to previous analyses, we look at a much wider region around the cluster and use first the convergent point method, coupled with a clustering analysis using DBSCAN. We find that the cluster, located 433 pc away and well described by a Plummer profile, has very long and asymmetric tails, extending more than 260 pc on the sky (from tip to tip) - four times larger than previously thought - and contains twice as many stars. Numerical models computed with PETAR serve as guide and confirm our analysis. The tails follows the predictions from models, but the trailing tail appears slightly distorted, possibly indicating that the cluster had a complicated history of galactic encounters. Applying an alternative method to the newly developed compact convergent method, we potentially trace the cluster's tidal tails to their full extent, covering several thousands of parsecs and more than 1,000 stars. Our analysis therefore opens a new window on the study of open clusters, whose potential will be fully unleashed with future Gaia data releases.

astro-ph.GA

AGC 226178 and NGVS 3543: Two deceptive dwarfs towards Virgo

The two sources AGC 226178 and NGVS 3543, an extremely faint, clumpy, blue stellar system and a low surface brightness dwarf spheroidal, are adjacent systems in the direction of the Virgo cluster. Both have been studied in detail previously, with it being suggested that they are unrelated normal dwarf galaxies or that NGVS 3543 recently lost its gas through ram pressure stripping, and that AGC 226178 formed from this stripped gas. However, with HST ACS imaging we demonstrate that the stellar population of NGVS 3543 is inconsistent with being at the distance of the Virgo cluster, and that it is likely a foreground object at approximately 10 Mpc. Whereas the stellar population of AGC 226178 is consistent with it being a very young (10-100 Myr) object in the Virgo cluster. Through a re-analysis of the original ALFALFA HI detection we show that AGC 226178 likely formed from gas stripped from the nearby dwarf galaxy VCC 2034, a hypothesis strengthened by the high metallicity measured with MUSE VLT observations. However, it is unclear whether ram pressure or a tidal interaction is responsible for stripping the gas. AGC 226178 is one of at least five similar objects now known towards Virgo. These objects are all young and unlikely to remain visible for over ~500 Myr, suggesting that they are continually produced in the cluster.

astro-ph.GA

High-resolution extinction map in the direction of the strongly obscured bulge fossil fragment Liller 1

We used optical images acquired with the Wide Field Camera of the Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the Hubble Space Telescope and near-infrared data from GeMS/GSAOI to construct a high-resolution extinction map in the direction of the bulge stellar system Liller 1. In spite of its appearance of a globular cluster, Liller 1 has been recently found to harbor two stellar populations with remarkably different ages, and it is the second complex stellar system with similar properties (after Terzan5) discovered in the bulge, thus defining a new class of objects: the Bulge Fossil Fragments. Because of its location in the inner bulge of the Milky Way, very close to the Galactic plane, Liller 1 is strongly affected by large and variable extinction. The simultaneous study of both the optical and the near-infrared color-magnitude diagrams revealed that the extinction coefficient R$_V$ in the direction of Liller 1 has a much smaller value than commonly assumed for diffuse interstellar medium (R$_V=2.5$, instead of 3.1), in agreement with previous findings along different light paths to the Galactic bulge. The derived differential reddening map has a spatial resolution ranging from $1''$ to $3''$ over a field of view of about $90''$X$90''$. We found that the absorption clouds show patchy sub-structures with extinction variations as large as $δ{\rm E}(B-V)\sim0.9$ mag.

astro-ph.GA

Multicolor Variability of Young Stars in the Lagoon Nebula: Driving Causes and Intrinsic Timescales

Space observatories have provided unprecedented depictions of the many variability behaviors typical of low-mass, young stars. However, those studies have so far largely omitted more massive objects ($\sim$2 $M_\odot$ to 4-5 $M_\odot$), and were limited by the absence of simultaneous, multi-wavelength information. We present a new study of young star variability in the $\sim$1-2 Myr-old, massive Lagoon Nebula region. Our sample encompasses 278 young, late-B to K-type stars, monitored with Kepler/K2. Auxiliary $u,g,r,i,Hα$ time series photometry, simultaneous with K2, was acquired at the Paranal Observatory. We employed this comprehensive dataset and archival infrared photometry to determine individual stellar parameters, assess the presence of circumstellar disks, and tie the variability behaviors to inner disk dynamics. We found significant mass-dependent trends in variability properties, with B/A stars displaying substantially reduced levels of variability compared to G/K stars for any light curve morphology. These properties suggest different magnetic field structures at the surface of early-type and later-type stars. We also detected a dearth of some disk-driven variability behaviors, particularly dippers, among stars earlier than G. This indicates that their higher surface temperatures and more chaotic magnetic fields prevent the formation and survival of inner disk dust structures co-rotating with the star. Finally, we examined the characteristic variability timescales within each light curve, and determined that the day-to-week timescales are predominant over the K2 time series. These reflect distinct processes and locations in the inner disk environment, from intense accretion triggered by instabilities in the innermost disk regions, to variable accretion efficiency in the outer magnetosphere.

astro-ph.SR

The 800pc long tidal tails of the Hyades star cluster: Possible discovery of candidate epicyclic overdensities from an open star cluster

The tidal tails of stellar clusters provide an important tool for studying the birth conditions of the clusters and their evolution, coupling, and interaction with the Galactic potential. We present the N-body evolution of a Hyades-like stellar cluster with backward-integrated initial conditions on a realistic 3D orbit in the Milky Way computed within the AMUSE framework. For the first time, we explore the effect of the initial cluster rotation and the presence of lumps in the Galactic potential on the formation and evolution of tidal tails. We show that the tidal tails are not naturally clustered in any coordinate system. Models with initial rotation result in significant differences in the cluster mass loss and follow different angular momentum time evolution. The orientation of the tidal tails relative to the motion vector of the cluster and the current cluster angular momentum constrain the initial rotation of the cluster. We highlight the use of the convergent point (CP) method in searches for co-moving groups and introduce a new compact CP (CCP) method that accounts for internal kinematics based on an assumed model. Using the CCP method, we are able to recover candidate members of the Hyades tidal tails in the Gaia DR2 and eDR3 reaching a total extent of almost 1kpc. We confirm the previously noted asymmetry in the detected tidal tails. In the eDR3 data we recovered spatial overdensities in the leading and trailing tails that are kinematically consistent with being epicyclic overdensities and thus present candidates for the first such detection in an open star cluster. We show that the epicyclic overdensities are able to provide constraints not only on the cluster properties, but also on the Galactic potential. Finally, based on N-body simulations, a close encounter with a massive Galactic lump can explain the observed asymmetry in the tidal tails of the Hyades.(abriged)

astro-ph.GA

Radial variation of the stellar mass functions in the globular clusters M15 and M30: clues of a non-standard IMF?

We exploit a combination of high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope and wide-field ESO-VLT observations to study the slope of the global mass function (alphaG) and its radial variation (alpha(r)) in the two dense, massive and post core-collapse globular clusters M15 and M30. The available data-set samples the clusters' Main Sequence down to 0.2 Msun and the photometric completeness allows the study of the mass function between 0.40 Msun and 0.75 Msun from the central regions out to their tidal radii. We find that both clusters show a very similar variation in alpha(r) as a function of clustercentric distance. They both exhibit a very steep variation in alpha(r) in the central regions, which then attains almost constant values in the outskirts. Such a behavior can be interpreted as the result of long-term dynamical evolution of the systems driven by mass-segregation and mass-loss processes. We compare these results with a set of direct N-body simulations and find that they are only able to reproduce the observed values of alpha(r) and alphaG at dynamical ages (t/trh) significantly larger than those derived from the observed properties of both clusters. We investigate possible physical mechanisms responsible for such a discrepancy and argue that both clusters might be born with a non-standard (flatter/bottom-lighter) initial mass function.

astro-ph.GA