TY - JOUR A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Huenemoerder, D. P. A1 - Hamann, Wolf-Rainer A1 - Shenar, Tomer A1 - Sander, Andreas Alexander Christoph A1 - Ignace, R. A1 - Todt, Helge Tobias A1 - Hainich, Rainer T1 - On the Binary Nature of Massive Blue Hypergiants: High-resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy Suggests That Cyg OB2 12 is a Colliding Wind Binary JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics N2 - The blue hypergiant Cyg OB2 12 (B3Ia(+)) is a representative member of the class of very massive stars in a poorly understood evolutionary stage. We obtained its high-resolution X-ray spectrum using the Chandra observatory. PoWR model atmospheres were calculated to provide realistic wind opacities and to establish the wind density structure. We find that collisional de-excitation is the dominant mechanism depopulating the metastable upper levels of the forbidden lines of the He-like ions Si XIV and Mg XII. Comparison between the model and observations reveals that X-ray emission is produced in a dense plasma, which could reside only at the photosphere or in a colliding wind zone between binary components. The observed X-ray spectra are well-fitted by thermal plasma models, with average temperatures in excess of 10 MK. The wind speed in Cyg OB2 12 is not high enough to power such high temperatures, but the collision of two winds in a binary system can be sufficient. We used archival data to investigate the X-ray properties of other blue hypergiants. In general, stars of this class are not detected as X-ray sources. We suggest that our new Chandra observations of Cyg OB2 12 can be best explained if Cyg OB2 12 is a colliding wind binary possessing a late O-type companion. This makes Cyg OB2 12 only the second binary system among the 16 known Galactic hypergiants. This low binary fraction indicates that the blue hypergiants are likely products of massive binary evolution during which they either accreted a significant amount of mass or already merged with their companions. KW - stars: individual (Cyg OB2 12) KW - stars: massive KW - stars: mass-loss KW - stars: winds, outflows KW - supergiants KW - X-rays: stars Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aa7e79 SN - 0004-637X SN - 1538-4357 VL - 845 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Leto, Paolo A1 - Trigilio, C. A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Ignace, R. A1 - Buemi, C. S. A1 - Umana, G. A1 - Ingallinera, A. A1 - Todt, Helge Tobias A1 - Leone, F. T1 - The detection of variable radio emission from the fast rotating magnetic hot B-star HR 7355 and evidence for its X-ray aurorae JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - In this paper, we investigate the multiwavelength properties of the magnetic early B-type star HR 7355. We present its radio light curves at several frequencies, taken with the Jansky Very Large Array, and X-ray spectra, taken with the XMM-Newton X-ray telescope. Modelling of the radio light curves for the Stokes I and V provides a quantitative analysis of the HR 7355 magnetosphere. A comparison between HR 7355 and a similar analysis for the Ap star CU Vir allows us to study how the different physical parameters of the two stars affect the structure of the respective magnetospheres where the non-thermal electrons originate. Our model includes a cold thermal plasma component that accumulates at high magnetic latitudes that influences the radio regime, but does not give rise to X-ray emission. Instead, the thermal X-ray emission arises from shocks generated by wind stream collisions close to the magnetic equatorial plane. The analysis of the X-ray spectrum of HR 7355 also suggests the presence of a non-thermal radiation. Comparison between the spectral index of the power-law X-ray energy distribution with the non-thermal electron energy distribution indicates that the non-thermal X-ray component could be the auroral signature of the non-thermal electrons that impact the stellar surface, the same non-thermal electrons that are responsible for the observed radio emission. On the basis of our analysis, we suggest a novel model that simultaneously explains the X-ray and the radio features of HR 7355 and is likely relevant for magnetospheres of other magnetic early-type stars. KW - stars: chemically peculiar KW - stars: early-type KW - stars: individual: HR 7355 KW - stars: magnetic field KW - radio continuum: stars KW - X-rays: stars Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx267 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 467 SP - 2820 EP - 2833 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ignace, R. A1 - Hole, K. T. A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Rotter, J. P. T1 - An X-Ray Study of Two B plus B Binaries: AH Cep and CW Cep JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics N2 - AH Cep and CW Cep are both early B-type binaries with short orbital periods of 1.8. days and 2.7. days, respectively. All four components are B0.5V types. The binaries are also double-lined spectroscopic and eclipsing. Consequently, solutions for orbital and stellar parameters make the pair of binaries ideal targets for a study of the colliding winds between two B. stars. Chandra ACIS-I observations were obtained to determine X-ray luminosities. AH. Cep was detected with an unabsorbed X-ray luminosity at a 90% confidence interval of (9-33) x 10(30) erg s(-1), or (0.5-1.7) x 10(-7) L-Bol , relative to the combined Bolometric luminosities of the two components. While formally consistent with expectations for embedded wind shocks, or binary wind collision, the near-twin system of CW Cep was a surprising nondetection. For CW Cep, an upper limit was determined with L-X/L-Bol < 10(-8), again for the combined components. One difference between these two systems is that AH Cep is part of a multiple system. The X-rays from AH. Cep may not arise from standard wind shocks nor wind collision, but perhaps instead from magnetism in any one of the four components of the system. The possibility could be tested by searching for cyclic X-ray variability in AH. Cep on the short orbital period of the inner B. stars. KW - stars: early-type KW - stars: individual (AH Cep, CW Cep) KW - stars: massive KW - stars: winds KW - outflows X-rays: binaries Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aa93ea SN - 0004-637X SN - 1538-4357 VL - 850 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Toala, Jesús Alberto A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Ignace, R. T1 - On the Absence of Non-thermal X-Ray Emission around Runaway O Stars JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Part 2, Letters N2 - Theoretical models predict that the compressed interstellar medium around runaway O stars can produce highenergy non-thermal diffuse emission, in particular, non-thermal X-ray and gamma-ray emission. So far, detection of nonthermal X-ray emission was claimed for only one runaway star, AE Aur. We present a search for non-thermal diffuse X-ray emission from bow shocks using archived XMM-Newton observations for a clean sample of six welldetermined runaway O stars. We find that none of these objects present diffuse X-ray emission associated with their bow shocks, similarly to previous X-ray studies toward. zeta ph and BD+ 43 degrees 3654. We carefully investigated multi-wavelength observations of AE Aur and could not confirm previous findings of non-thermal X-rays. We conclude that so far there is no clear evidence of non-thermal extended emission in bow shocks around runaway O stars. KW - stars: massive KW - stars: mass-loss KW - stars: winds, outflows KW - X-rays: ISM Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aa667c SN - 2041-8205 SN - 2041-8213 VL - 838 SP - 1 EP - 32 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER -