arXiv subjects

Ignacio Negueruela

Publications and source records attributed to Ignacio Negueruela.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Astrophysical parameters of LS2883 and implications for the PSR B1259-63 gamma-ray binary

Only a few binary systems with compact objects display TeV emission. The physical properties of the companion stars represent basic input to understand the physical mechanisms behind the particle acceleration, emission, and absorption processes in these so-called gamma-ray binaries. Here we present high-resolution and high signal-to-noise optical spectra of LS2883, the Be star forming a gamma-ray binary with the young non-accreting pulsar PSR B1259-63, showing it to rotate faster and be significantly earlier and more luminous than previously thought. Analysis of the interstellar lines suggest that the system is located at the same distance as (and thus is likely a member of) CenOB1. Taking the distance to the association, d=2.3kpc, and a color excess of E(B-V)=0.85 for LS2883, results in Mv=-4.4. Because of fast rotation, LS2883 is oblate (R_eq=9.7R_sun and R_pole=8.1R_sun) and presents a temperature gradient (T_eq=27500K, log g_eq=3.7; T_pole=34000K, log g_pole=4.1). If the star did not rotate, it would have parameters corresponding to a late O-type star. We estimate its luminosity at log(L*/L_sun)=4.79, and its mass at M=30M_sun. The mass function then implies an inclination of the binary system i_orb=23deg,slightly smaller than previous estimates. We discuss the implications of these new astrophysical parameters of LS2883 for the production of high energy and very high energy gamma rays in the PSR B1259-63/LS2883 gamma-ray binary system. In particular, the stellar properties are very important for prediction of the line-like bulk Comptonization component from the unshocked ultra-relativistic pulsar wind.

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arXiv2011

A massive association around the obscured open cluster RSGC3

Four clusters of red supergiants have been discovered in a region of the Milky Way close to base of the Scutum-Crux Arm and the tip of the Long Bar. Population synthesis models indicate that they must be very massive to harbour so many supergiants. The spatial extent of one of these clusters, RSGC3, has not been investigated. We utilised 2MASS JHK photometry to identify candidate obscured luminous red stars in the vicinity of RSGC3. We observed a sample of candidates with the TWIN spectrograph on the 3.5-m telescope at Calar Alto, obtaining intermediate-resolution spectroscopy in the 8000-9000A range. We re-evaluated a number of classification criteria proposed in the literature for this spectral range and found that we could use our spectra to derive spectral types and luminosity classes. We measured the radial velocity of five members of RSGC3, finding velocities similar to the average for members of Stephenson2. Among the candidates observed outside the cluster, our spectra revealed eight M-type supergiants at distances <18arcmin from the centre of RSGC3, distributed in two clumps. The southern clump is most likely another cluster of red supergiants, with reddening and age identical to RSGC3. From 2MASS photometry, we identified four likely supergiant members of the cluster in addition to the five spectroscopically observed. The northern clump may be a small cluster with similar parameters. Photometric analysis of the area around RSGC3 suggests the presence of a large (>30) population of red supergiants with similar colours, suggesting that the massive cluster RSGC3 is surrounded by an extended association, which may be very massive (>10E5M_sun). We also show that supergiants in the Scutum Complex may be characterised via a combination of 2MASS photometry and intermediate-to-high-resolution spectroscopy in the Z band (abridged).

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arXiv2010

The population of OB supergiants in the starburst cluster Westerlund 1

After leaving the main sequence, massive stars undergo complex evolution, still poorly understood. With a population of 100s OB stars, the starburst cluster Westerlund~1 offers an unparallelled environment to study their evolutionary tracks. We used the VLT/FORS2 to obtain intermediate-resolution spectroscopy over the range 5800-9000A of ~ 100 likely members. We developed criteria for their spectral classification using only spectral features in the range observed. We discuss these criteria, useful for spectral classification of early-type stars in the GAIA spectral region, in the appendix. Using these criteria, we obtain spectral classifications, probably accurate to one subtype, for 57 objects, most of which had no previous classification or a generic classification. We identify more than 50 objects as OB supergiants. We find almost 30 luminous early-B supergiants and a number of less luminous late-O supergiants. In addition, we find a few mid B supergiants with very high luminosity, some of them displaying signs of heavy mass loss. All these stars form a sequence compatible with theoretical evolutionary tracks. In addition, two early B supergiants also show indication of heavy mass loss and may represent the evolutionary phase immediately prior to the Wolf-Rayet stage. We investigate cluster properties using the spectral types and existing photometry. We find that the reddening law to the cluster does not deviate strongly from standard, even though extinction is quite variable, with an average value A_v=10.8. Though evolutionary tracks for high-mass stars are subject to large uncertainties, our data support an age of >~5Myr and a distance ~5kpc for Westerlund 1. The spectral types observed are compatible with a single burst of star formation (the age range is very unlikely to be >1Myr).[ABRIDGED]

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arXiv2010

Another cluster of red supergiants close to RSGC1

Recent studies have revealed massive star clusters in a region of the Milky Way close to the tip of the Long Bar. These clusters are heavily obscured and are characterised by a population of red supergiants. We analyse a previously unreported concentration of bright red stars ~16' away from the cluster RSGC1. We utilised near IR photometry to identify candidate red supergiants and then K-band spectroscopy of a sample to characterise their properties. We find a compact clump of eight red supergiants and five other candidates at some distance, one of which is spectroscopically confirmed as a red supergiant. These objects must form an open cluster, which we name Alicante 8. Because of the high reddening and strong field contamination, the cluster sequence is not clearly seen in 2MASS or UKIDSS near-IR photometry. From the analysis of the red supergiants, we infer an extinction $A_{K_{\rm S}}=1.9$ and an age close to 20 Myr. Though this cluster is smaller than the three known previously, its properties still suggest a mass in excess of 10 000 $M_{\sun}$. Its discovery corroborates the hypothesis that star formation in this region has happened on a wide scale between ~10 and ~20 Myr ago.

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arXiv2009

Long-term Monitoring of Accreting Pulsars with Fermi GBM

Using the Gamma ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on Fermi we are monitoring accreting pulsar systems. We use the rates from GBM's 12 NaI detectors in the 8-50 keV range to detect and monitor pulsations with periods between 0.5 and 1000 seconds. After discussing our analysis approach we present results for individual sources from the first year of monitoring. Updated figures for these and other sources are available at http://gammaray.nsstc.nasa.gov/gbm/science/pulsars/ .

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arXiv2009

IGR J17544-2619 in depth with Suzaku: direct evidence for clumpy winds in a supergiant fast X-ray transient

We present the first direct evidence for dense clumps of matter in the companion wind in a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) binary. This is seen as a brief period of enhanced absorption during one of the bright, fast flares that distinguish these systems. The object under study was IGR J17544-2619, and a total of 236 ks of data were accumulated with the Japanese satellite Suzaku. The activity in this period spans a dynamic range of almost 10000 in luminosity and gives a detailed look at SFXT behavior.

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arXiv2009

Stellar wind accretion in high-mass X-ray binaries

Recent discoveries have confirmed the existence of a large population of X-ray sources fuelled by accretion from the stellar wind of an OB supergiant. Such systems are powerful laboratories to study many aspects of astrophysics. Over the last decades, the physics of accretion in these systems has been the subject of extensive research, mainly through numerical methods. In spite of this effort, large uncertainties remain in our understanding, reflecting the complexity of the physical situation. A crucial issue that remains open is the possible formation of accretion discs. Though the spin evolution of neutron stars in these systems suggests that angular momentum is, at least occasionally, accreted, and many observational facts seem to require the existence of discs, computational results do not favour this possibility. In this brief review, I will summarise some of the open questions in this area.

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arXiv2009

Chemical abundance patterns in the inner Galaxy: the Scutum Red Supergiant Clusters

The location of the Scutum Red-Supergiant (RSG) clusters at the end of the Galactic Bar makes them an excellent probe of the Galaxy's secular evolution; while the clusters themselves are ideal testbeds in which to study the predictions of stellar evolutionary theory. To this end, we present a study of the RSGs' surface abundances using a combination of high-resolution H-band spectroscopy and spectral synthesis analysis. We provide abundance measurements for elements C, O, Si, Mg, Ti, and Fe. We find that the surface abundances of the stars studied are consistent with CNO burning and deep, rotationally enhanced mixing. The average a/Fe ratios of the clusters are solar, consistent with a thin-disk population. However, we find significantly sub-solar Fe/H ratios for each cluster, a result which strongly contradicts a simple extrapolation of the Galactic metallicity gradient to lower Galacto-centric distances. We suggest that a simple one-dimensional parameterization of the Galaxy's abundance patterns is insufficient at low Galactocentric distances, as large azimuthal variations may be present. Indeed, we show that the abundances of O, Si and Mg are consistent with independent measurements of objects in similar locations in the Galaxy. In combining our results with other data in the literature, we present evidence for large-scale (~kpc) azimuthal variations in abundances at Galacto-centric distances of 3-5kpc. While we cannot rule-out that this observed behaviour is due to systematic offsets between different measurement techniques, we do find evidence for similar behaviour in a study of the barred-spiral galaxy NGC4736 which uses homogeneous methodology. We suggest that these azimuthal abundance variations could result from the intense but patchy star formation driven by the potential of the central bar.

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arXiv2008

The open cluster Pismis 11 and the very luminous blue supergiant HD 80077

(Abridged) The very luminous blue supergiant HD 80077 has been claimed to be a member of the young open cluster Pismis 11, and hence a hypergiant. We obtained UBVRI photometry of the cluster field and low-resolution spectroscopy of a number of putative members. We derive spectral types from the spectra and determine that the reddening in this direction is standard. We then carry out a careful photometric analysis that allows us to determine individual reddening values, deriving unreddened parameters that are used for the main sequence fit. We identify 43 likely members of Pismis 11. We study the variation of extinction across the face of the cluster and find some dispersion, with a trend to higher values in the immediate neighbourhood of HD 80077. We estimate a distance of 3.6 kpc for the cluster. If HD 80077 is a member, it has M_bol<-10.5 and it is one of the three visually brightest stars in the Galaxy. Several early type stars in the vicinity of Pismis~11 fit well the cluster sequence and are likely to represent an extended population at the same distance. About 18 arcmin to the North of Pismis 11, we find a small concentration of stars, which form a clear sequence. We identify this group as a previously uncatalogued open cluster, which we provisionally call Alicante 5. The distance to Alicante 5 is also 3.6 kpc, suggesting that these two clusters and neighbouring early-type stars form a small association. Based on its proper motion, HD 80077 is not a runaway star and may be a member of the cluster. If this is the case, it would be one of the brightest stars in the Galaxy.

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arXiv2008

Stellar tracers of the Cygnus Arm. II: A young open cluster in Cam OB3

Cam OB3 is the only defined OB association believed to belong to the Outer Galactic Arm or Cygnus Arm. Very few members have been observed and the distance modulus to the association is not well known. We attempt a more complete description of the population of Cam OB3 and a better determination of its distance modulus. We present uvby photometry of the area surrounding the O-type stars BD +56 864 and LS I +57 138, finding a clear sequence of early-type stars that define an uncatalogued open cluster, which we call Alicante 1. We also present spectroscopy of stars in this cluster and the surrounding association. From the spectral types for 18 very likely members of the association and UBV photometry found in the literature, we derive individual reddenings, finding a extinction law close to standard and an average distance modulus DM=13.0+-0.4. This value is in excellent agreement with the distance modulus to the new cluster Alicante 1 found by fitting the photometric sequence to the ZAMS. In spite of the presence of several O-type stars, Alicante 1 is a very sparsely populated open cluster, with an almost total absence of early B-type stars. Our results definitely confirm Cam OB3 to be located on the Cygnus Arm and identify the first open cluster known to belong to the association.

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arXiv2008

New very massive stars in Cygnus OB2

The compact association Cygnus OB2 is known to contain a large population of massive stars, but its total mass is currently a matter of debate. While recent surveys have uncovered large numbers of OB stars in the area around Cyg OB2, detailed study of the optically brightest among them suggests that most are not part of the association. We observed an additional sample of optically faint OB star candidates, with the aim of checking if more obscured candidates are correspondingly more likely to be members of Cyg OB2. Low resolution spectra of 9 objects allow the rejection of one foreground star and the selection of four O-type stars, which were later observed at higher resolution. In a subsequent run, we observed three more stars in the classification region and three other stars in the far red. We identify five (perhaps six) new evolved very massive stars and three main sequence O-type stars, all of which are likely to be members of Cyg OB2. The new findings allow a much better definition of the upper HR diagram, suggesting an age ~2.5Myr for the association and hinting that the O3-5 supergiants in the association are blue stragglers, either younger or following a different evolutionary path from other cluster members. Though the bulk of the early stars seems to belong to an (approximately) single-age population, there is ample evidence for the presence of somewhat older stars at the same distance. Our results suggest that, even though Cyg OB2 is unlikely to contain as many as 100 O-type stars, it is indeed substantially more massive than was thought prior to recent infrared surveys.

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arXiv2008

Westerlund 1 as a Template for Massive Star Evolution

With a dynamical mass M_dyn ~ 1.3x10e5 M_sun and a lower limit M_cl>5x10e4 M_sun from star counts, Westerlund 1 is the most massive young open cluster known in the Galaxy and thus the perfect laboratory to study massive star evolution. We have developed a comprehensive spectral classification scheme for supergiants based on features in the 6000-9000A range, which allows us to identify >30 very luminous supergiants in Westerlund 1 and ~100 other less evolved massive stars, which join the large population of Wolf-Rayet stars already known. Though detailed studies of these stars are still pending, preliminary rough estimates suggest that the stars we see are evolving to the red part of the HR diagram at approximately constant luminosity.

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arXiv2008

Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients and Other Wind Accretors

Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients are obviously related to persistent Supergiant X-ray Binaries. Any convincing explanation for their behaviour must consistently take into account all types of X-ray sources powered by wind accretion. Here we present a common framework for wind accreting sources, within the context of clumpy wind models, that allows a coherent interpretation of their different behaviours as an immediate consequence of diverse orbital geometries.

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arXiv2007

Intermediate to low-mass stellar content of Westerlund 1

We have analysed near-infrared NTT/SofI observations of the starburst cluster Westerlund 1, which is among the most massive young clusters in the Milky Way. A comparison of colour-magnitude diagrams with theoretical main-sequence and pre-main sequence evolutionary tracks yields improved extinction and distance estimates of A_Ks = 1.13+-0.03 mag and d = 3.55+-0.17 kpc (DM = 12.75+-0.10 mag). The pre-main sequence population is best fit by a Palla & Stahler isochrone for an age of 3.2 Myr, while the main sequence population is in agreement with a cluster age of 3 to 5 Myr. An analysis of the structural parameters of the cluster yields that the half-mass radius of the cluster population increases towards lower mass, indicative of the presence of mass segregation. The cluster is clearly elongated with an eccentricity of 0.20 for stars with masses between 10 and 32 Msun, and 0.15 for stars with masses in the range 3 to 10 Msun. We derive the slope of the stellar mass function for stars with masses between 3.4 and 27 Msun. In an annulus with radii between 0.75 and 1.5 pc from the cluster centre, we obtain a slope of Gamma = -1.3. Closer in, the mass function of Westerlund 1 is shallower with Gamma = -0.6. The extrapolation of the mass function for stars with masses from 0.08 to 120 Msun yields an initial total stellar mass of ~52,000 Msun, and a present-day mass of 20,000 to 45,000 Msun (about 10 times the stellar mass of the Orion Nebula Cluster, and 2 to 4 times the mass of the NGC 3603 young cluster), indicating that Westerlund 1 is the most massive starburst cluster identified to date in the Milky Way.

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arXiv2007

On the X-ray and optical properties of the Be star HD 110432: a very hard-thermal X-ray emitter

(ABRIDGED) - HD 110432 is the first proposed, and best studied, member of a growing group of Be stars with X-ray properties similar to gamma Cas. These stars exhibit hard-thermal X-ray emissions (kT ~> 7 keV) that are variable on all measurable timescales. In this work we present X-ray spectral and timing properties of HD 110432 from three XMM-Newton observations in addition to new optical spectroscopic observations. Its X-ray spectrum, complex and timing dependent, is well described in each observation by three thermal plasmas with temperatures ranging between 0.4-0.7, 3-6, and 21-37 keV. Thus, HD 110432 has the hottest thermal plasma of any known Be star. A sub-solar iron abundance (~ 0.3-0.5 x ZFe_sun) is derived for the hottest plasma. The star has a moderate 0.2-12 keV luminosity of ~ 5 x 10^32 erg/s. Recurrent flare-like events on time scales as short as ~ 10 seconds are superimposed over a slowly ~ 5-10 x 10^3 seconds varying basal flux, followed by similarly rapid hardness variabilities. There is no evidence for coherent oscillations, and an upper limit of ~ 2.5% is derived on the pulsed fraction for short pulsations from 0.005 to 2.5 Hz. In the optical region the strong and quasi-symmetrical profile of the Halpha line (EW \~ -60 Angs.) as well as the detection of several metallic lines in emission strongly suggest a dense and/or large circumstellar disk. HD 110432 has several properties reminiscence of the cataclysmic variables such as a very hot X-ray temperature and its detailed spectral features. This suggests that it might be a Be star harbouring an accreting white dwarf. On the other hand, accumulating evidence of magnetic activities in the literature supports the surface-disk of the star as being the X-ray site.

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arXiv2007

Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients: A common behaviour or a class of objects?

INTEGRAL monitoring of the Galactic Plane is revealing a growing number of recurrent X-ray transients, characterised by short outbursts with very fast rise times (~ tens of minutes) and typical durations of a few hours. A substantial fraction of these sources are associated with OB supergiants and hence define a new class of massive X-ray binaries, which we call Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients. Characterisation of the astrophysical parameters of their counterparts is underway. So far, we have found a number of late O and early B supergiants of different luminosities at a large range of distances. Nothing in their optical properties sets them apart from classical Supergiant X-ray Binaries. On the other hand, there is now rather concluding evidence that persistent supergiant X-ray binaries also show fast outbursts. This suggests a continuum of behaviours between typical persistent supergiant systems and purely transient systems, but offers very little information about the physical causes of the outbursts.

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arXiv2007

Pre-main-sequence stars in the young open cluster NGC 1893: II. Evidence for triggered massive star formation

(Abridged) The open cluster NGC 1893, illuminating the HII region IC410, contains a moderately large population of O-type stars and is one of the youngest clusters observable in the optical range. We have probed the stellar population of NGC 1893 in an attempt to determine its size and extent. We classify a large sample of cluster members with new intermediate resolution spectroscopy. We use H-alpha slitless spectroscopy of the field to search for emission line objects, identifying 18 emission-line PMS stars. We then combine existing optical photometry with 2MASS JHKs photometry to detect stars with infrared excesses, finding close to 20 more PMS candidates. While almost all stars earlier than B2 indicate standard reddening, all later cluster members show strong deviations from a standard reddening law, which we interpret in terms of infrared excess emission. Emission-line stars and IR-excess objects show the same spatial distribution, concentrating around two localised areas, the immediate vicinity of the pennant nebulae Sim 129 and Sim 130 and the area close to the cluster core where the rim of the molecular cloud associated with IC 410 is illuminated by the nearby O-type stars. In and around the emission nebula Sim 130 we find three Herbig Be stars with spectral types in the B1-4 range and several other fainter emission-line stars. We obtain a complete census of B-type stars by combining Stroemgren, Johnson and 2MASS photometry and find a deficit of intermediate mass stars compared to massive stars. We observe a relatively extended halo of massive stars surrounding the cluster without an accompanying population of intermediate-mass stars. The overall picture of star formation in NGC 1893 suggests a very complex process.

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arXiv2006

A search for counterparts to massive X-ray binaries using photometric catalogues

(abridged) INTEGRAL has discovered large numbers of new hard X-ray sources, many of which are believed to be high mass X-ray binaries. However, for a significant fraction, their counterparts remain unidentified. We explore the use of photometric catalogues to find optical counterparts to high mass X-ray binaries. Candidates were selected from 2MASS photometry by means of a reddening free Q parameter. Sufficiently bright candidates were spectroscopically observed. Many of the candidates selected turned out to be moderately reddened late A or early F stars, but our method is able to identify the counterpart to IGR J16207-5129, confirmed by a Chandra localisation. We classify this object as a B0 supergiant. In the field of AX J1820.5-1434, we find a mid or early B-type star, but we cannot confirm it as the counterpart. For AX J1700.2-4220, we do not find any suitable candidate within the ASCA error circle. We classify HD 153295, a marginal candidate to be the counterpart, as B0.5IVe, and find a distance compatible with membership in Sco OB1. We derive a spectral type B0IIIe for HD100199, previously identified as the counterpart to IGR J11305-6256. In the case of IGR J17091-3624, the object associated with a variable radio source in the field is a late F star. The procedure used is able to correctly identify OB stars and, in about one third of the cases, may lead to the localisation of the correct counterpart. However, the majority of INTEGRAL error circles do not contain any suitable optically visible counterpart. Deep infrared searches are going to be necessary in order to locate the counterparts to these sources.

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