TY - JOUR A1 - Ramiaramanantsoa, Tahina A1 - Ratnasingam, Rathish A1 - Shenar, Tomer A1 - Moffat, Anthony F. J. A1 - Rogers, Tamara M. A1 - Popowicz, Adam A1 - Kuschnig, Rainer A1 - Pigulski, Andrzej A1 - Handler, Gerald A1 - Wade, Gregg A. A1 - Zwintz, Konstanze A1 - Weiss, Werner W. T1 - A BRITE view on the massive O-type supergiant V973 Scorpii BT - hints towards internal gravity waves or sub-surface convection zones JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - Stochastically triggered photospheric light variations reaching similar to 40 mmag peak-to-valley amplitudes have been detected in the O8 Iaf supergiant V973 Scorpii as the outcome of 2 months of high-precision time-resolved photometric observations with the BRIght Target Explorer (BRITE) nanosatellites. The amplitude spectrum of the time series photometry exhibits a pronounced broad bump in the low-frequency regime (less than or similar to 0.9 d(-1)) where several prominent frequencies are detected. A time-frequency analysis of the observations reveals typical mode lifetimes of the order of 5-10 d. The overall features of the observed brightness amplitude spectrum of V973 Sco match well with those extrapolated from two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of convectively driven internal gravity waves randomly excited from deep in the convective cores of massive stars. An alternative or additional possible source of excitation from a sub-surface convection zone needs to be explored in future theoretical investigations. KW - convection KW - waves KW - techniques: photometric KW - stars: massive KW - supergiants Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty1897 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 480 IS - 1 SP - 972 EP - 986 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bozzo, Enrico A1 - Ferrigno, Carlo A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Ducci, Lorenzo T1 - Accretion of a clumped wind from a red supergiant donor on to a magnetar is suggested by the analysis of the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the X-ray binary 3A 1954+319 JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - 3A 1954+319 has been classified for a long time as a symbiotic X-ray binary, hosting a slowly rotating neutron star and an aged M red giant. Recently, this classification has been revised thanks to the discovery that the donor star is an M supergiant. This makes 3A 1954+319 a rare type of high-mass X-ray binary consisting of a neutron star and a red supergiant donor. In this paper, we analyse two archival and still unpublished XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the source. We perform a detailed hardness ratio-resolved spectral analysis to search for spectral variability that could help investigating the structures of the inhomogeneous M supergiant wind from which the neutron star is accreting. We discuss our results in the context of wind-fed supergiant X-ray binaries and show that the newest findings on 3A 1954+319 reinforce the hypothesis that the neutron star in this system is endowed with a magnetar-like magnetic field strength (greater than or similar to 10(14) G). KW - accretion KW - stars: massive KW - stars: neutron KW - X-rays: binaries KW - X-rays: individual: 3A 1954+319 KW - X-rays: stars KW - accretion discs Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab3688 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 510 IS - 3 SP - 4645 EP - 4653 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aldoretta, E. J. A1 - St-Louis, N. A1 - Richardson, N. D. A1 - Moffat, Anthony F. J. A1 - Eversberg, T. A1 - Hill, G. M. A1 - Shenar, Tomer A1 - Artigau, E. A1 - Gauza, B. A1 - Knapen, J. H. A1 - Kubat, Jiří A1 - Kubatova, Brankica A1 - Maltais-Tariant, R. A1 - Munoz, M. A1 - Pablo, H. A1 - Ramiaramanantsoa, T. A1 - Richard-Laferriere, A. A1 - Sablowski, D. P. A1 - Simon-Diaz, S. A1 - St-Jean, L. A1 - Bolduan, F. A1 - Dias, F. M. A1 - Dubreuil, P. A1 - Fuchs, D. A1 - Garrel, T. A1 - Grutzeck, G. A1 - Hunger, T. A1 - Kuesters, D. A1 - Langenbrink, M. A1 - Leadbeater, R. A1 - Li, D. A1 - Lopez, A. A1 - Mauclaire, B. A1 - Moldenhawer, T. A1 - Potter, M. A1 - dos Santos, E. M. A1 - Schanne, L. A1 - Schmidt, J. A1 - Sieske, H. A1 - Strachan, J. A1 - Stinner, E. A1 - Stinner, P. A1 - Stober, B. A1 - Strandbaek, K. A1 - Syder, T. A1 - Verilhac, D. A1 - Waldschlaeger, U. A1 - Weiss, D. A1 - Wendt, A. T1 - An extensive spectroscopic time series of three Wolf-Rayet stars - I. The lifetime of large-scale structures in the wind of WR 134 JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - During the summer of 2013, a 4-month spectroscopic campaign took place to observe the variabilities in three Wolf-Rayet stars. The spectroscopic data have been analysed for WR 134 (WN6b), to better understand its behaviour and long-term periodicity, which we interpret as arising from corotating interaction regions (CIRs) in the wind. By analysing the variability of the He ii lambda 5411 emission line, the previously identified period was refined to P = 2.255 +/- 0.008 (s.d.) d. The coherency time of the variability, which we associate with the lifetime of the CIRs in the wind, was deduced to be 40 +/- 6 d, or similar to 18 cycles, by cross-correlating the variability patterns as a function of time. When comparing the phased observational grey-scale difference images with theoretical grey-scales previously calculated from models including CIRs in an optically thin stellar wind, we find that two CIRs were likely present. A separation in longitude of Delta I center dot a parts per thousand integral 90A degrees was determined between the two CIRs and we suggest that the different maximum velocities that they reach indicate that they emerge from different latitudes. We have also been able to detect observational signatures of the CIRs in other spectral lines (C iv lambda lambda 5802,5812 and He i lambda 5876). Furthermore, a DAC was found to be present simultaneously with the CIR signatures detected in the He i lambda 5876 emission line which is consistent with the proposed geometry of the large-scale structures in the wind. Small-scale structures also show a presence in the wind, simultaneously with the larger scale structures, showing that they do in fact co-exist. KW - instabilities KW - methods: data analysis KW - techniques: spectroscopic KW - stars: individual: WR 134 KW - stars: massive KW - stars: Wolf-Rayet Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw1188 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 460 SP - 3407 EP - 3417 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Townsley, Leisa K. A1 - Broos, Patrick S. A1 - Corcoran, Michael F. A1 - Feigelson, Eric D. A1 - Gagne, Marc A1 - Montmerle, Thierry A1 - Oey, M. S. A1 - Smith, Nathan A1 - Garmire, Gordon P. A1 - Getman, Konstantin V. A1 - Povich, Matthew S. A1 - Evans, Nancy Remage A1 - Naze, Yael A1 - Parkin, E. R. A1 - Preibisch, Thomas A1 - Wang, Junfeng A1 - Wou, Scott J. A1 - Chu, You-Hua A1 - Cohen, David H. A1 - Gruendl, Robert A. A1 - Hamaguchi, Kenji A1 - King, Robert R. A1 - Mac Low, Mordecai-Mark A1 - McCaughrean, Mark J. A1 - Moffat, Anthony F. J. A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Pittard, Julian M. A1 - Stassun, Keivan G. A1 - Ud-Doula, Asif A1 - Walborn, Nolan R. A1 - Waldron, Wayne L. A1 - Churchwell, Ed A1 - Nictiols, J. S. A1 - Owocki, Stanley P. A1 - Schulz, Norbert S. T1 - An introduction to the chandra carina complex project JF - The astrophysical journal : an international review of spectroscopy and astronomical physics ; Supplement series N2 - The Great Nebula in Carina provides an exceptional view into the violent massive star formation and feedback that typifies giant H II regions and starburst galaxies. We have mapped the Carina star-forming complex in X-rays, using archival Chandra data and a mosaic of 20 new 60 ks pointings using the Chandra X-ray Observatory's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, as a testbed for understanding recent and ongoing star formation and to probe Carina's regions of bright diffuse X-ray emission. This study has yielded a catalog of properties of > 14,000 X-ray point sources;> 9800 of them have multiwavelength counterparts. Using Chandra's unsurpassed X-ray spatial resolution, we have separated these point sources from the extensive, spatially-complex diffuse emission that pervades the region; X-ray properties of this diffuse emission suggest that it traces feedback from Carina's massive stars. In this introductory paper, we motivate the survey design, describe the Chandra observations, and present some simple results, providing a foundation for the 15 papers that follow in this special issue and that present detailed catalogs, methods, and science results. KW - H II regions KW - stars: massive KW - stars: pre-main sequence KW - X-rays: individual (Carina) KW - X-rays: ISM KW - X-rays: stars Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/0067-0049/194/1/1 SN - 0067-0049 VL - 194 IS - 1 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol 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 - Schöller, Markus A1 - Hubrig, Swetlana A1 - Fossati, L. A1 - Carroll, Thorsten Anthony A1 - Briquet, Maryline A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Järvinen, S. A1 - Ilyin, Ilya A1 - Castro, N. A1 - Morel, T. A1 - Langer, N. A1 - Przybilla, N. A1 - Nieva, M. -F. A1 - Kholtygin, A. F. A1 - Sana, H. A1 - Herrero, A. A1 - Barba, R. H. A1 - de Koter, A. T1 - B fields in OB stars (BOB) BT - Concluding the FORS2 observing campaign JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Aims. The B fields in OB stars (BOB) Collaboration is based on an ESO Large Programme to study the occurrence rate, properties, and ultimately the origin of magnetic fields in massive stars. Methods. In the framework of this program, we carried out low-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of a large sample of massive stars using FORS2 installed at the ESO VLT 8m telescope. Results. We determined the magnetic field values with two completely independent reduction and analysis pipelines. Our in-depth study of the magnetic field measurements shows that differences between our two pipelines are usually well within 3 sigma errors. From the 32 observations of 28 OB stars, we were able to monitor the magnetic fields in CPD -57 degrees 3509 and HD164492C, confirm the magnetic field in HD54879, and detect a magnetic field in CPD -62 degrees 2124. We obtain a magnetic field detection rate of 6 +/- 3% for the full sample of 69 OB stars observed with FORS 2 within the BOB program. For the preselected objects with a nu sin i below 60 km s(-1), we obtain a magnetic field detection rate of 5 +/- 5%. We also discuss X-ray properties and multiplicity of the objects in our FORS2 sample with respect to the magnetic field detections. KW - polarization KW - stars: early-type KW - stars: magnetic field KW - stars: massive Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201628905 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 599 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Castro, Norberto A1 - Fossati, Luca A1 - Hubrig, Swetlana A1 - Simon Díaz, Sergio A1 - Schoeller, Markus A1 - Ilyin, Ilya A1 - Carrol, Thorsten A. A1 - Langer, Norbert A1 - Morel, Thierry A1 - Schneider, Fabian R. N. A1 - Przybilla, Norbert A1 - Herrero, Artemio A1 - de Koter, Alex A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Reisenegger, Andreas A1 - Sana, Hugues T1 - B fields in OB stars (BOB) Detection of a strong magnetic field in the O9.7 V star HD 54879 JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - The number of magnetic stars detected among massive stars is small; nevertheless, the role played by the magnetic field in stellar evolution cannot be disregarded. Links between line profile variability, enhancements/depletions of surface chemical abundances, and magnetic fields have been identified for low-mass B-stars, but for the O-type domain this is almost unexplored. Based on FORS 2 and HARPS spectropolarimetric data, we present the first detection of a magnetic field in HD54879, a single slowly rotating O9.7 V star. Using two independent and different techniques we obtained the firm detection of a surface average longitudinal magnetic field with a maximum amplitude of about 600 G, in modulus. A quantitative spectroscopic analysis of the star with the stellar atmosphere code FASTWIND results in an effective temperature and a surface gravity of 33 000 +/- 1000K and 4.0 +/- 0.1 dex. The abundances of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, and magnesium are found to be slightly lower than solar, but compatible within the errors. We investigate line-profile variability in HD54879 by complementing our spectra with spectroscopic data from other recent OB-star surveys. The photospheric lines remain constant in shape between 2009 and 2014, although H alpha shows a variable emission. The H alpha emission is too strong for a standard O9.7 V and is probably linked to the magnetic field and the presence of circumstellar material. Its normal chemical composition and the absence of photospheric line profile variations make HD54879 the most strongly magnetic, non-variable single O-star detected to date. KW - stars: atmospheres KW - stars: evolution KW - stars: magnetic field KW - stars: massive KW - stars: individual: HD 54879 Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201425354 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 581 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Przybilla, Norbert A1 - Fossati, Luca A1 - Hubrig, Swetlana A1 - Nieva, M. -F. A1 - Jaervinen, S. P. A1 - Castro, Norberto A1 - Schoeller, M. A1 - Ilyin, Ilya A1 - Butler, Keith A1 - Schneider, F. R. N. A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Morel, T. A1 - Langer, N. A1 - de Koter, A. T1 - B fields in OB stars (BOB): Detection of a magnetic field in the He-strong star CPD-57 degrees 3509 JF - Organic letters N2 - Methods. Spectropolarimetric observations with FORS2 and HARPSpol are analysed using two independent approaches to quantify the magnetic field strength. A high-S/N FLAMES/GIRAFFE spectrum is analysed using a hybrid non-LTE model atmosphere technique. Comparison with stellar evolution models constrains the fundamental parameters of the star. Results. We obtain a firm detection of a surface averaged longitudinal magnetic field with a maximum amplitude of about 1 kG. Assuming a dipolar configuration of the magnetic field, this implies a dipolar field strength larger than 3.3 kG. Moreover, the large amplitude and fast variation (within about 1 day) of the longitudinal magnetic field implies that CPD-57 degrees 3509 is spinning very fast despite its apparently slow projected rotational velocity. The star should be able to support a centrifugal magnetosphere, yet the spectrum shows no sign of magnetically confined material; in particular, emission in H alpha is not observed. Apparently, the wind is either not strong enough for enough material to accumulate in the magnetosphere to become observable or, alternatively, some leakage process leads to loss of material from the magnetosphere. The quantitative spectroscopic analysis of the star yields an effective temperature and a logarithmic surface gravity of 23 750 +/- 250 K and 4.05 +/- 0.10, respectively, and a surface helium fraction of 0.28 +/- 0.02 by number. The surface abundances of C, N, O, Ne, S, and Ar are compatible with the cosmic abundance standard, whereas Mg, Al, Si, and Fe are depleted by about a factor of 2. This abundance pattern can be understood as the consequence of a fractionated stellar wind. CPD-57 degrees 3509 is one of the most evolved He-strong stars known with an independent age constraint due to its cluster membership. KW - stars: abundances KW - stars: atmospheres KW - stars: evolution KW - stars: magnetic field KW - stars: individual: CPD-57 degrees 3509 KW - stars: massive Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201527646 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 587 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fossati, Luca A1 - Castro, Norberto A1 - Morel, Thierry A1 - Langer, Norbert A1 - Briquet, Maryline A1 - Carroll, Thorsten Anthony A1 - Hubrig, Swetlana A1 - Nieva, Maria-Fernanda A1 - Oskinova, Lida A1 - Przybilla, Norbert A1 - Schneider, Fabian R. N. A1 - Schoeller, Magnus A1 - Simon Díaz, Sergio A1 - Ilyin, Ilya A1 - de Koter, Alex A1 - Reisenegger, Andreas A1 - Sana, Hugues T1 - B fields in OB stars (BOB): on the detection of weak magnetic fields in the two early B-type stars beta CMa and epsilon CMa Possible lack of a "magnetic desert" in massive stars JF - Astronomy and astrophysics : an international weekly journal N2 - Only a small fraction of massive stars seem to host a measurable structured magnetic field, whose origin is still unknown and whose implications for stellar evolution still need to be assessed. Within the context of the "B fields in OB stars (BOB)" collaboration, we used the HARPSpol spectropolarimeter to observe the early B-type stars beta CMa (HD 44743; B1 II/III) and epsilon CMa (HD 52089; B1.5II) in December 2013 and April 2014. For both stars, we consistently detected the signature of a weak (<30 G in absolute value) longitudinal magnetic field, approximately constant with time. We determined the physical parameters of both stars and characterise their X-ray spectrum. For the beta Cep star beta CMa, our mode identification analysis led to determining a rotation period of 13.6 +/- 1.2 days and of an inclination angle of the rotation axis of 57.6 +/- 1.7 degrees, with respect to the line of sight. On the basis of these measurements and assuming a dipolar field geometry, we derived a best fitting obliquity of about 22 degrees and a dipolar magnetic field strength (B-d) of about 100 G (60 < B-d < 230 G within the 1 sigma level), below what is typically found for other magnetic massive stars. This conclusion is strengthened further by considerations of the star's X-ray spectrum. For epsilon CMa we could only determine a lower limit on the dipolar magnetic field strength of 13 G. For this star, we determine that the rotation period ranges between 1.3 and 24 days. Our results imply that both stars are expected to have a dynamical magnetosphere, so the magnetic field is not able to support a circumstellar disk. We also conclude that both stars are most likely core hydrogen burning and that they have spent more than 2/3 of their main sequence lifetime. A histogram of the distribution of the dipolar magnetic field strength for the magnetic massive stars known to date does not show the magnetic field "desert" observed instead for intermediate-mass stars. The biases involved in the detection of (weak) magnetic fields in massive stars with the currently available instrumentation and techniques imply that weak fields might be more common than currently observed. Our results show that, if present, even relatively weak magnetic fields are detectable in massive stars and that more observational effort is probably still needed to properly access the magnetic field incidence. KW - stars: atmospheres KW - stars: evolution KW - stars: magnetic field KW - stars: individual: epsilon CMa KW - stars: individual: beta CMa KW - stars: massive Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201424986 SN - 0004-6361 SN - 1432-0746 VL - 574 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ramiaramanantsoa, Tahina A1 - Moffat, Anthony F. J. A1 - Harmon, Robert A1 - Ignace, R. A1 - St-Louis, Nicole A1 - Vanbeveren, Dany A1 - Shenar, Tomer A1 - Pablo, Herbert A1 - Richardson, Noel D. A1 - Howarth, Ian D. A1 - Stevens, Ian R. A1 - Piaulet, Caroline A1 - St-Jean, Lucas A1 - Eversberg, Thomas A1 - Pigulski, Andrzej A1 - Popowicz, Adam A1 - Kuschnig, Rainer A1 - Zoclonska, Elzbieta A1 - Buysschaert, Bram A1 - Handler, Gerald A1 - Weiss, Werner W. A1 - Wade, Gregg A. A1 - Rucinski, Slavek M. A1 - Zwintz, Konstanze A1 - Luckas, Paul A1 - Heathcote, Bernard A1 - Cacella, Paulo A1 - Powles, Jonathan A1 - Locke, Malcolm A1 - Bohlsen, Terry A1 - Chené, André-Nicolas A1 - Miszalski, Brent A1 - Waldron, Wayne L. A1 - Kotze, Marissa M. A1 - Kotze, Enrico J. A1 - Böhm, Torsten T1 - BRITE-Constellation high-precision time-dependent photometry of the early O-type supergiant zeta Puppis unveils the photospheric drivers of its small- and large-scale wind structures JF - Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society N2 - From 5.5 months of dual-band optical photometric monitoring at the 1 mmag level, BRITE-Constellation has revealed two simultaneous types of variability in the O4I(n)fp star ζ Puppis: one single periodic non-sinusoidal component superimposed on a stochastic component. The monoperiodic component is the 1.78-d signal previously detected by Coriolis/Solar Mass Ejection Imager, but this time along with a prominent first harmonic. The shape of this signal changes over time, a behaviour that is incompatible with stellar oscillations but consistent with rotational modulation arising from evolving bright surface inhomogeneities. By means of a constrained non-linear light-curve inversion algorithm, we mapped the locations of the bright surface spots and traced their evolution. Our simultaneous ground-based multisite spectroscopic monitoring of the star unveiled cyclical modulation of its He ii λ4686 wind emission line with the 1.78-d rotation period, showing signatures of corotating interaction regions that turn out to be driven by the bright photospheric spots observed by BRITE. Traces of wind clumps are also observed in the He ii λ4686 line and are correlated with the amplitudes of the stochastic component of the light variations probed by BRITE at the photosphere, suggesting that the BRITE observations additionally unveiled the photospheric drivers of wind clumps in ζ Pup and that the clumping phenomenon starts at the very base of the wind. The origins of both the bright surface inhomogeneities and the stochastic light variations remain unknown, but a subsurface convective zone might play an important role in the generation of these two types of photospheric variability. KW - techniques: photometric KW - techniques: spectroscopic KW - stars: massive KW - stars: rotation KW - starspots KW - supergiants KW - stars: winds, outflows Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stx2671 SN - 0035-8711 SN - 1365-2966 VL - 473 IS - 4 SP - 5532 EP - 5569 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER -