NGC 1866: First Spectroscopic Detection of Fast Rotating Stars in a Young LMC Cluster [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1708.03386


High-resolution spectroscopic observations were taken of 29 extended main sequence turn-off (eMSTO) stars in the young ($\sim$200 Myr) LMC cluster, NGC 1866 using the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System and MSpec spectrograph on the Magellan-Clay 6.5-m telescope. These spectra reveal the first direct detection of rapidly rotating stars whose presence has only been inferred from photometric studies. The eMSTO stars exhibit H-alpha emission (indicative of Be-star decretion disks), others have shallow broad H-alpha absorption (consistent with rotation $\gtrsim $150 km s$^{-1}$), or deep H-alpha core absorption signaling lower rotation velocities ($ \lesssim $150 km s$^{-1}$ ). The spectra appear consistent with two populations of stars – one rapidly rotating, and the other, younger and slowly rotating.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Dupree, A. Dotter, C. Johnson, et. al.
Mon, 14 Aug 17
3/46

Comments: 9 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters