Issue |
A&A
Volume 461, Number 2, January II 2007
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 651 - 656 | |
Section | Stellar structure and evolution | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20065921 | |
Published online | 09 October 2006 |
The hot stars in orbit around the M 31 central supermassive black hole: are they young or old?
Department of Astronomy, Yale University, PO Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101, USA e-mail: [pierre.demarque;shanil.virani]@yale.edu
Received:
27
June
2006
Accepted:
2
October
2006
Aims.The cluster of hot stars observed in orbit around the central black hole of M 31 has been interpreted as a 200 Myr starburst. The formation of a population of young stars in close proximity to a massive black hole presents a difficult challenge to star formation theory. We point out that in a high stellar density environment, the course of stellar evolution is modified by frequent collisions and mergers.
Methods.Blue stragglers, which are the results of mergers in globular clusters, occupy the same position in the color–magnitude diagram as the observed hot stars in M 31. For confirmation, the integrated spectrum of P3 is shown to be compatible with the spectral energy distribution of a blue horizontal branch field star.
Results.We suggest an old stellar population of evolved blue horizontal-branch stars and of merger products cannot be ruled out on the basis of the available data. Observations are suggested that would help distinguish between a “young” and “old” stellar population interpretation of the observations.
Key words: stars: evolution / galaxies: active / galaxies: individual: M 31
© ESO, 2006
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.