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M. Abdul-Masih

Publications and source records attributed to M. Abdul-Masih.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

SPAMMS: 3D spectroscopic modelling of stellar surfaces. II. Implementation of Kurucz and TLUSTY model atmospheres

Context. Accurate stellar spectra are essential to derive stellar properties. Traditional model atmospheres often oversimplify phenomena that break spherical symmetry, such as rotational deformation or multiplicity. The Spectroscopic PAtch Model for Massive Stars (SPAMMS) accounts for these effects, but its applicability has been limited by the spectral types covered by its model atmosphere grids. Aims. We aim to extend the parameter space of the model atmosphere grids available to SPAMMS, enabling spectral synthesis across a broader range of stellar types. Methods. We computed specific intensities, $I\left(λ,μ\right)$, for $101$ emergent angles using PRISMAS (Pipeline of Radiative Intensity Synthesis for Meshed Atmospheric Surfaces), and pre-computed LTE and non-LTE atmospheres from two ATLAS9-Kurucz grids and the TLUSTY-based OSTAR2002 and BSTAR2006 models. Results. The intensity grids cover effective temperatures from $3500$ to $55000\,\mathrm{K}$ and surface gravities from $0.0$ to $5.0\,\mathrm{dex}$, spanning O- to K-type stars. They include metallicities from $0$ to $30\,\mathrm{Z_\odot}$ and microturbulent velocities of $1$, $3$, $5$, and $10\,\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$. The spectral range extends from $3000$ to $9000\,\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$ with $Δλ=0.01\,\mathring{\mathrm{A}}$. As a proof of concept, we modelled with SPAMMS a rapidly rotating B-type star and an eclipsing Algol-type binary. Conclusions. The new LTE-Kurucz and NLTE-TLUSTY grids substantially expand the parameter space accessible to SPAMMS. The code can now generate synthetic spectra for a broader range of stellar types and geometries, including rapidly rotating and multiple systems -- providing a more comprehensive framework for modelling non-spherical stellar surfaces.

astro-ph.SR

The symphony of pulsations and binarity among massive stars using HERMES spectroscopy and TESS photometry

A wide range of variability mechanisms exist among intermediate mass and massive stars, which are not yet fully understood. Using complementary data sources for a large population of B- and O-type stars, we aim to study the prevalence and interplay of different types of variability, including binarity, pulsation, and rotation, to prepare for future modelling. To this end, we analyse high-resolution HERMES spectra and 2-min cadence TESS photometry and characterise the diverse variability observed within a population of 873 O- and B-type stars. The spectroscopic data were normalised using machine-learning techniques, compared to a grid of synthetic TLUSTY spectra to determine stellar parameters, and used to identify radial velocity variability. Photometric time series were analysed using standard frequency analysis methods to detect pulsations and rotational modulation signatures. We find that more than 93 per cent of the sample exhibits photometric variability. Photometric variability caused by pulsations is identified in 82 per cent of the sample, with dominant contributions from $β$ Cep and slowly pulsating B-type stars, as well as stochastic low-frequency variability. Based on a limited number of spectroscopic epochs, at least 14 per cent of the stars show evidence of binarity, including both eclipsing and spectroscopic systems. This work represents one of the largest homogeneous surveys of variability for intermediate-mass and massive stars in the Northern hemisphere, and complementing similar efforts in the Southern hemisphere. It provides a statistical framework for future studies of stellar structure and evolution, particularly in the context of asteroseismology.

astro-ph.SR

Multiplicity of Massive Stars at Low Metallicity: Early Results from the BLOeM Campaign

Massive stars at low metallicity (Z) play a central role in shaping the high-redshift Universe, yet their multiplicity remains poorly constrained. The Binarity at Low Metallicity (BLOeM) campaign is a two-year survey of 929 stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud with the Fibre Large Array Multi Element Spectrograph (FLAMES) instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope, providing the first large-scale spectroscopic monitoring of massive stars at low Z (1/5 solar). Analysis of the initial nine epochs reveals high intrinsic binary fractions (>70%) on the main sequence and a steep decline in evolved objects. Analysis of the full dataset will yield orbital solutions, identify black-hole companions, and allow a derivation of the initial mass function for single and binary stars at low Z.

physics.gen-ph

Multiplicity of Massive stars in the Milky Way (M3W). I. Project description, UNWIND, application to GLS 11 448, and DIB catalog

(ABRIDGED BUT NOT TOO FAR) Multiplicity is ubiquitous among massive stars and its understanding is constrained by the sample of well-determined orbits. The immediate goal of M3W is to significantly increase the number of massive multiple systems with well-determined orbits and masses. We will address issues such as multiplicity statistics, the mass function in clusters and the field, the properties of binaries with compact companions and gravitational-wave progenitors, the origin and characteristics of runaways and their 3-D motions, the use of apsidal motion as a probe of stellar interiors, and the mass discrepancy between different methods (evolutionary, spectroscopic, and Keplerian). In this first paper, we present the project; describe the data and tools that will be used, including the disentangling UNWIND tool; analyse the very massive twin binary system GLS 11 448; and briefly introduce some of the following papers of the series. We present a new orbit for GLS 11 448, using UNWIND to obtain for the first time disentangled spectra for the full 3820-11 000 $\mathring{A}$ range for an OB spectroscopic binary. We derive the stellar parameters, making new stellar lines available for the study of O stars. The Aa and Ab components of GLS 11 448, both classified as O3.5 II(f*), are the two most massive O stars ever detected according to the evolutionary masses of 70$\pm$10 M$_\odot$ and 76$\pm$11 M$_\odot$ determined in this paper. We also report the first-ever detection of the interstellar He I 10 830 triplet in absorption in an OB-star sightline. As a by-product of the ISM model derived for UNWIND using GLS 11 448 and five other standard stars, we present the most detailed diffuse-interstellar-band (DIB) library ever built, with a total of 631 DIBs in the 4000-17 100 $\mathring{A}$ range, of which 37 are fitted with multiple-Gaussian profiles and 119 had never been identified before.

astro-ph.SR

SpecFANN: Spectral Fitting via Artificial Neural Networks I. A deep learning based fastwind emulator and fitting suite

The importance of massive stars cannot be overstated: they are powerful probes of the early universe, play a vital role in the chemical and mechanical evolution of their host environments and their end products allow us to study the most extreme physics in the universe. Obtaining accurate stellar and surface parameters for large samples of massive stars is vital to our understanding of how they evolve, and how their births, lives and deaths affect their surroundings. With the large volume of data expected from upcoming spectroscopic surveys, computational limitations will likely be the most important bottleneck impeding our progress. To address this and dramatically decrease computing times, we aim to develop a robust emulator for the FASTWIND radiative transfer and spectral synthesis code. Additionally, we aim to explore alternative fitting methods that have not been feasible until now due to computational costs. We calculate a set of FASTWIND synthetic spectra of OB-type stars, and we train a collection of neural networks to emulate these models. We also develop the open-source python package SpecFANN, which provides users with a suite of fitting methods that can be used with these or other user-generated neural networks. The majority of the trained neural networks reach average accuracies of better than ~0.01-0.1% for photospheric lines and better than ~0.1-1% for wind lines. SpecFANN is able to obtain robust and accurate stellar parameters that are consistent with the literature for a sample of 52 early-type stars. Using SpecFANN we find that we can achieve the same fit in ~1/360,000 of the time when compared to alternative techniques that rely on on-the-fly FASTWIND computations. We have demonstrated that neural networks offer a viable path forward to address the computational limitations of our current atmosphere analysis and stellar parameter determination methods for hot stars.

astro-ph.SR

Stellar nucleosynthesis in the era of large surveys: S-process polluted binaries in GALAH DR4

Binary interactions during the AGB phase can lead to the formation of chemically peculiar stars with overabundances of s-process elements. Only a few hundreds of these stars have been subject to detailed chemical or dynamical studies. This work aims at compiling a systematic sample of s-process-polluted candidates using GALAH DR4. We also want to compare their properties with those of confirmed s-polluted stars to have stronger evidence of their nature. GALAH DR4 uses neural networks and automatic spectral analysis methods as well as data of a lower spectral resolution than normally used to characterise these objects. Because of this, we built a validation sample, for which we obtained UVES@VLT and HERMES@Mercator high-resolution spectra. We compare our stellar parameters and abundances with those of the survey and use this validation to define the thresholds that a star in GALAH DR4 must pass to be flagged as a good s-process-rich candidate. Based on our comparisons, we define thresholds on [s/Fe], [Y/Fe], [Zr/Fe], [Ba/Fe], and [La/Fe]. We identified 1059 stars in GALAH DR4 that are good candidates to be s-process polluted stars, covering a broad parameter space. They share many similarities with the samples of confirmed s-rich stars, especially their ratios of heavy over light s-elements ([hs/ls]), which strengthen our confidence in the purity of the sample. We find that only 7% of the candidates have measured orbital periods and eccentricities, limiting for now a full comparison with confirmed Ba and related stars. However, their binary fraction is, as expected, higher than the one we found for the full GALAH DR4 catalogue. Our sample of candidates is almost five times larger than the number of currently confirmed polluted stars. This and the fact that it has been homogeneously treated by GALAH open very interesting avenues to confront nucleosynthesis and binary evolution models.

astro-ph.SR

Magnetic field detections in massive systems at different stages of interaction

Despite the importance of magnetic fields in massive stars, their origin is widely debated and still not well understood. With the mounting evidence for the importance of studying magnetic fields in interacting massive binary and multiple systems, it appears necessary to investigate the presence of magnetic fields in semi-detached systems with ongoing mass transfer, and in contact systems where mass is actively being exchanged. We present an analysis of 53 high-resolution HARPSpol spectropolarimetric observations of a sample of 14 massive binary and multiple systems using the least-squares deconvolution technique. The majority of the studied systems are classified as semi-detached or contact binaries. Definite detections of the presence of a magnetic field are achieved in all studied systems apart from the rather faint system SV Cen, for which only a marginal detection was obtained. The fact that the presence of magnetic fields is detected in all but one of the studied systems strongly suggests that interaction between the system components plays a definite role in the generation of magnetic fields in massive stars. The measured mean longitudinal magnetic field strength for all targets is of the order of a few hundred Gauss to a few kiloGauss. The strongest longitudinal magnetic fields of 4 to 5kG are discovered in the massive O-type triple system MY Ser in both components of the contact binary. kiloGauss-order magnetic fields are also detected in two other systems, V1294 Sco and V606 Cen. It is possible that there is an implication of some system characteristics, such as multiplicity, the mass ratio between the components, and a large fillout factor, on the measured magnetic field strength. Our results for the magnetic field measurements in interacting binaries present the first assessment of the occurrence rate of magnetic fields in a representative sample of such systems.

astro-ph.SR

HOney-BeeS II. Be-X-ray binaries as testbeds for spectroscopic studies of Be stars

The majority of massive classical Be stars are thought to be binary interactions products. Their rapid rotation and often strong, variable, and emission-line dominated spectrum, make spectroscopic analysis challenging. Hence, robust binary properties and statistical constraints are still lacking for the Be population. In this study, we use seven Be-X-ray binaries, and their orbital periods derived from the X-rays, to investigate the reliability of different spectral lines and numerical methods for the measuring of radial-velocities and orbital period determination of Be stars. We use multi-epoch high-resolution HERMES spectra and compare absorption- and emission-line radial velocities obtained with cross-correlation, line-profile fitting, and the bisector method. Line-profile variability affects the bisector method and line-profile fitting requires model templates that do not encompass the complexity of Be-star line profiles. Therefore, we recommend using cross-correlation: it is independent of models and easily compatible with line blends seen in Be-star spectra. The obtained statistical uncertainty on the radial-velocities from cross-correlation is 0.2-0.3km/s for H$α$ (emission) and ~5km/s for absorption lines, excluding potential systematics. In general, whether the goal is to do binary statistics of a population or an in-depth study of a specific system, we suggest using emission lines, due to a higher precision and less scatter than absorption lines. Here, H$β$ is preferred over H$α$ because of its lesser variability. However, large-scale variability may cause large shifts in emission-line radial velocities, resulting in spurious eccentricities. In this case, orbital solutions should ideally be compared to lower-signal absorption lines (if present). Finally, we highlight the need for understanding how companion-disc interactions alter emission-line appearance.

astro-ph.SR

The lack of fast rotators in Cyg OB2. I. Insights from spectral reclassification of its B0 population

Context. Cygnus OB2, in the Cygnus X complex -- one of the most active star-forming regions of the Galaxy -- hosts hundreds of O- and B-type stars at different evolutionary stages. This association provides a unique laboratory to study massive star evolution and dynamics. However, despite extensive studies, the absence of a fast-rotating group ($v\sin{i}>200\,\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$) among the O-type population of Cygnus OB2 challenges current models of massive star evolution. Aims. Stellar rotation strongly impacts spectral line shapes of O-type stars, and high rotation can potentially lead to misclassifications. We investigate whether some stars in Cygnus OB2, classified at low spectral resolution as B0, are actually rapidly rotating late-O types. Such cases could explain the observed lack of fast rotators in Cygnus OB2. Methods. Accounting for rotation, we reclassified the known B0 population in Cygnus OB2, using the MGB tool and both the new and pre-existing optical spectroscopy. Finally, we computed the projected rotational velocities using iacob-broad. Results. About $19\,\%$ of the initial B0 population in Cygnus OB2 are, in fact, late-O types. Only six stars in the entire dataset show $v\sin{i}>200\,\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$, with just one new O-type star exceeding this threshold. Conclusions. In our study of Cygnus OB2, we continue to find a notable lack of fast rotators among its O-type population. We propose a combination of three factors as the most likely explanation: (i) the young age of Cygnus OB2 may imply that fast rotators have not been produced yet due to binary interactions; (ii) fast rotators may have been dynamically ejected from the core as runaway stars; and (iii) local star formation conditions may hinder binary formation (reducing spin-up interactions) or result in slower rotational velocities at birth.

astro-ph.SR

Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM): a spectroscopic VLT monitoring survey of massive stars in the SMC

Surveys in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud revealed that the majority of massive stars will interact with companions during their lives. However, knowledge of the binary properties of massive stars at low metallicity, which approaches the conditions of the Early Universe, remains sparse. We present the Binarity at LOw Metallicity (BLOeM) campaign - an ESO large programme designed to obtain 25 epochs of spectroscopy for 929 massive stars in the SMC - the lowest metallicity conditions in which multiplicity is probed to date (Z = 0.2 Zsun). BLOeM will provide (i) the binary fraction, (ii) the orbital configurations of systems with periods P < 3 yr, (iii) dormant OB+BH binaries, and (iv) a legacy database of physical parameters of massive stars at low metallicity. The stars are observed with the LR02 setup of the giraffe instrument of the Very Large Telescope (3960-4570A, resolving power R=6200; typical signal-to-noise ratio S/N=70-100). This paper utilises the first 9 epochs obtained over a three-month time. We describe the survey and data reduction, perform a spectral classification of the stacked spectra, and construct a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram of the sample via spectral-type and photometric calibrations. The sample covers spectral types from O4 to F5, spanning the effective temperature and luminosity ranges 6.5<Teff/kK<45 and 3.7<log L/Lsun<6.1 and initial masses 8<Mini/Msun<80. It comprises 159 O-type stars, 331 early B-type (B0-3) dwarfs and giants (luminosity classes V-III), 303 early B-type supergiants (II-I), and 136 late-type supergiants. At least 82 stars are Oe/Be stars: 20 O-type and 62 B-type (13% and 11% of the respective samples). In addition, it includes 4 high-mass X-ray binaries, 3 stars resembling luminous blue variables, 2 bloated stripped-star candidates, 2 candidate magnetic stars, and 74 eclipsing binaries.

astro-ph.SR

A high fraction of close massive binary stars at low metallicity

At high metallicity, a majority of massive stars have at least one close stellar companion. The evolution of such binaries is subject to strong interaction processes, heavily impacting the characteristics of their life-ending supernova and compact remnants. For the low-metallicity environments of high-redshift galaxies constraints on the multiplicity properties of massive stars over the separation range leading to binary interaction are crucially missing. Here we show that the presence of massive stars in close binaries is ubiquitous, even at low metallicity. Using the Very Large Telescope, we obtained multi-epoch radial velocity measurements of a representative sample of 139 massive O-type stars across the Small Magellanic Cloud, which has a metal content of about one fifth of the solar value. We find that 45% of them show radial velocity variations which demonstrate that they are members of close binary systems, and predominantly have orbital periods shorter than one year. Correcting for observational biases indicates that at least 70[+11:-6]% of the O stars in our sample are in close binaries, and that at least 68[+7:-8]% of all O stars interact with a companion star during their lifetime. We found no evidence supporting a statistically significant trend of the multiplicity properties with metallicity. Our results indicate that multiplicity and binary interactions govern the evolution of massive stars and determine their cosmic feedback and explosive fates.

astro-ph.SR

Large-scale variability in macroturbulence driven by pulsations in the rapidly rotating massive star Zeta Oph from high-cadence ESPRESSO spectroscopy and TESS photometry

Despite their importance, the dynamical properties of massive stars remain poorly understood. Rotation is a key driver of internal mixing and angular momentum transport, significantly influencing massive star evolution. However, constraining rotation from spectroscopy is challenging, as spectral lines often exhibit excess broadening beyond rotation. The origin of this additional broadening, typically attributed to large-scale velocity fields and commonly referred to as macroturbulence, remains uncertain and unconstrained. Here, we present the combined analysis of TESS photometry and rapid time-series spectroscopy using the high-resolution ESPRESSO instrument at the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory for the rapidly rotating and pulsating massive star Zeta Ophiuchi. Leveraging excellent temporal coverage, our analysis demonstrates that pulsation-induced variability leads to peak-to-peak scatter as large as 88 km/s in the observed macroturbulent velocity time series. We also demonstrate that time-averaged macroturbulent velocities are spectral line specific and can exceed 100 km/s . Furthermore, the macroturbulent velocities from shorter integration times are systematically lower than those derived from stacked spectra mimicking longer exposure times typically needed for fainter stars. These results highlight the role of pulsations in driving variable macroturbulence in massive stars, while also pointing to a potential bias in spectroscopic estimates of macroturbulence for fainter massive stars.

astro-ph.SR

Binarity at Low Metallicity (BLOeM) -- Multiplicity properties of Oe and Be stars

Rapidly rotating classical OBe stars have been proposed as the products of binary interactions, and the fraction of Be stars with compact companions implies that at least some are. However, to constrain the interaction physics spinning up the OBe stars, a large sample of homogeneously analysed OBe stars with well-determined binary characteristics and orbital parameters are required. We investigate the multiplicity properties of a sample of 18 Oe, 62 Be, and two Of?p stars observed within the BLOeM survey in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We analyse the first nine epochs of spectroscopic observations obtained over approximately three months in 2023. Radial velocities (RVs) of all stars are measured. Applying commonly-used binarity criteria we classify objects as binaries, binary candidates, and apparently single (RV stable) objects. We further inspect the spectra for double-lined spectroscopic binaries and cross-match with catalogues of X-ray sources and photometric binaries. We classify 14 OBe stars as binaries, and an additional 11 as binary candidates. The two Of?p stars are apparently single. Two more objects are most likely currently interacting binaries. Without those, the observed binary fraction for the OBe sample (78 stars) is f_OBe_obs=0.18+/-0.04 (f_obs_cand=0.32+/-0.05 including candidates). This fraction is less than half of that measured for OB stars in BLOeM. Combined with the lower fraction of SB2s, this suggests that OBe stars have indeed fundamentally different binary properties than OB stars. We find no evidence for OBe binaries with massive compact companions, in contrast to expectations from binary population synthesis. Our results support the binary scenario as an important formation channel for OBe stars, as post-interaction binaries may have been disrupted or the stripped companions of OBe stars are harder to detect.

astro-ph.SR

Newborn Be star systems observed shortly after mass transfer

Many classical Be stars acquire their very rapid rotation by mass and angular-momentum transfer in massive binaries. Short-lived intermediate-phase objects have only been discovered recently. Data archives and the literature have been searched for additional candidates exhibiting this patterns. Thirteen candidates were identified at various confidence levels. Adding to the two known systems identified as classical Be star+pre-subdwarf binaries (LB-1 and HR6819), two more (V742Cas, HD44637) could be confirmed with interferometry, with V742Cas setting a new record for the smallest visually observed angular semi-major axis, at a=0.663mas. Two further ones (V447Sct, V1362Cyg) are not resolved interferometrically, but other evidence puts them at the same confidence level as LB-1. V2174Cyg is a candidate with very high confidence, but was not observed interferometrically. The remaining ones are either candidates with varying levels of confidence. Of a mostly magnitude complete sample of 328 Be stars, 0.5-1% are found to have recently completed the mass overflow that led to their formation. Another 5% are systems with compact subdwarf companions, i.e., further evolved after a previous overflow, and possibly two more percent harbor white dwarfs. All these systems are of early B-subtypes, however, and if the original sample is restricted to early subtypes (136 objects), these percentages increase by a factor of about 2.5, while dropping to zero for the mid and late subtypes (together 204 objects). This strongly suggests that early- vs. mid- and late-type Be stars have differently weighted channels to acquire their rapid rotation, namely binary interaction vs. evolutionary spin-up.

astro-ph.SR

Empirical mass-loss rates and clumping properties of O-type stars in the LMC

We constrain wind parameters of a sample of 18 O-type stars in the LMC, through analysis with stellar atmosphere and wind models including the effects of optically thick clumping. This allows us to determine the most accurate spectroscopic mass-loss and wind structure properties of massive stars at sub-solar metallicity to date and gain insight into the impact of metallicity on massive stellar winds. Combining high signal to noise (S/N) ratio spectroscopy in the UV and optical gives us access to diagnostics of multiple different physical processes in the stellar wind. We produce synthetic spectra using the stellar atmosphere modelling code FASTWIND, and reproduce the observed spectra using a genetic algorithm based fitting technique. We empirically constrain 15 physical parameters associated with the stellar and wind properties, including temperature, surface gravity, surface abundances, rotation, macroturbulence and wind parameters. We find, on average, mass-loss rates a factor of 4-5 lower than those predicted by Vink et al. 2001, in good agreement with predictions from Bjorklund et al. 2021, and the best agreement with those from Krticka et al. 2018. In the 'weak-wind' regime we find mass-loss rates orders of magnitude below any theoretical predictions. We find a positive correlation of clumping factors (fcl) with effective temperature with an average fcl = 14 +- 8 for the full sample. Above 38 kK an average 46 +- 24% of the wind velocity span is covered by clumps and the interclump density is 10-30% of the mean wind. Below an effective temperature of roughly 38 kK there must be additional light leakage for supergiants. For dwarf stars at low temperatures there is a statistical preference for very low clump velocity spans, however it is unclear if this can be physically motivated as there are no clearly observable wind signatures in UV diagnostics.

astro-ph.SR

The colliding-wind binary HD 168112

Radio surveys of early-type stars have revealed a number of non-thermal emitters. Most of these have been shown to be binaries, where the collision between the two stellar winds is responsible for the non-thermal emission. HD 168112 is a non-thermal radio emitter, whose binary nature has only recently been confirmed spectroscopically. We obtained independent spectroscopic observations to determine its orbit, in addition to radio observations to see if the thermal or non-thermal nature of the emission changes during the periastron passage. We monitored HD 168112 spectroscopically for a 13 year time span. From these data, we determined the orbital parameters, which we compared to the previous results in the literature. From the spectral index of the radio observations, we found how the nature of the emission changes as the system goes through periastron. Combining our results with other literature data allowed us to further constrain the orbital and stellar parameters. We find HD 168112 to have an orbital period of P = 512.17+0.41-0.11 d, an eccentricity of e = 0.7533+0.0053-0.0124, and a mass ratio close to one. From our spectroscopic modelling, we derived the stellar parameters, but we had difficulty arriving at a spectroscopic mass ratio of one. The radio observations around periastron show only thermal emission, suggesting that most of the synchrotron photons are absorbed in the two stellar winds at that phase. Combining our data with the optical interferometry detection, we could constrain the inclination angle to i ~ 63 deg, and the mass of each component to ~ 26 Msun. We have provided an independent spectroscopic confirmation of the binary nature of HD 168112. Although detected as a non-thermal radio emitter, near periastron the radio emission of this highly eccentric system is thermal and is mainly formed in the colliding-wind region. [abridged]

astro-ph.SR

Detection of extragalactic magnetic massive stars

Studies of the magnetic characteristics of massive stars have recently received significant attention because they are progenitors of highly magnetised compact objects. Stars initially more massive than about 8M_sun leave behind neutron stars and black holes by the end of their evolution. The merging of binary compact remnant systems produces astrophysical transients detectable by gravitational wave observatories. Studies of magnetic fields in massive stars with low metallicities are of particular interest because they provide important information on the role of magnetic fields in the star formation of the early Universe. While several detections of massive Galactic magnetic stars have been reported in the last few decades, the impact of a low-metallicity environment on the occurrence and strength of stellar magnetic fields has not yet been explored. Because of the similarity between Of?p stars in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) and Galactic magnetic Of?p stars, which possess globally organised magnetic fields, we searched for magnetic fields in Of?p stars in the MCs. Additionally, we observed the massive contact binary Cl* NGC 346 SSN7 in the Small Magellanic Cloud to test the theoretical scenario that the origin of magnetic fields involves a merger event or a common envelope evolution. We obtained and analysed measurements of the magnetic field in four massive Of?p stars in the MCs and the binary Cl* NGC 346 SSN7 using the ESO/VLT FORS2 spectrograph in spectropolarimetric mode. We detected kilogauss-scale magnetic fields in two Of?p-type stars and in the contact binary Cl* NGC 346 SSN7. These results suggest that the impact of low metallicity on the occurrence and strength of magnetic fields in massive stars is low. However, because the explored stellar sample is very small, additional observations of massive stars in the MCs are necessary.

astro-ph.SR

X-Shooting ULLYSES: Massive Stars at low metallicity II. DR1: Advanced optical data products for the Magellanic Clouds

Using the medium resolution spectrograph X-shooter, spectra of 235 OB and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in sub-solar metallicity environments have been secured. [...]This second paper focuses on the optical observations of 232 Magellanic Clouds targets. It describes the uniform reduction of the UVB (300 - 560 nm) and VIS (550 - 1020 nm) XShootU data as well as the preparation of advanced data products [...] . The data reduction of the raw data is based on the ESO CPL X-shooter pipeline. We paid particular attention to the determination of the response curves [...] We implemented slit-loss correction, absolute flux calibration, (semi-)automatic rectification to the continuum, and a correction for telluric lines. The spectra of individual epochs were corrected for the barycentric motion, re-sampled and co-added, and the spectra from the two arms were merged into a single flux calibrated spectrum covering the entire optical range with maximum signal-to-noise ratio. [...] We provide three types of data products: (i) two-dimensional spectra for each UVB and VIS exposure; (ii) one-dimensional UVB and VIS spectra before and after response-correction, as well as after applying various processing, including absolute flux calibration, telluric removal, normalisation and barycentric correction; and (iii) co-added flux-calibrated and rectified spectra over the full optical range, for which all available XShootU exposures were combined. For many of the targets, the final signal-to-noise ratio per resolution element is above 200 in both the UVB and the VIS co-added spectra. The reduced data and advanced scientific data products will be made available to the community upon publication of this paper. [...]

astro-ph.SR