Issue |
A&A
Volume 564, April 2014
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | L10 | |
Number of page(s) | 5 | |
Section | Letters | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201423490 | |
Published online | 07 April 2014 |
B fields in OB stars (BOB): The discovery of a magnetic field in a multiple system in the Trifid nebula, one of the youngest star forming regions⋆
1 Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
e-mail: shubrig@aip.de
2 Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121 Bonn, Germany
3 Instituto de Ciencias Astronomicas, de la Tierra, y del Espacio (ICATE), 5400 San Juan, Argentina
4 Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25/8, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
5 European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748 Garching, Germany
6 Universität Potsdam, Institut für Physik und Astronomie, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
7 Institut d’Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Allée du 6 Août, Bât. B5c, 4000 Liège, Belgium
8 Main Astronomical Observatory, 27 Academica Zabolotnogo Str., 03680 Kiev, Ukraine
9 Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory & ECAP, University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Sternwartstr. 7, 96049 Bamberg, Germany
Received: 23 January 2014
Accepted: 25 February 2014
Aims. Recent magnetic field surveys in O- and B-type stars revealed that about 10% of the core-hydrogen-burning massive stars host large-scale magnetic fields. The physical origin of these fields is highly debated. To identify and model the physical processes responsible for the generation of magnetic fields in massive stars, it is important to establish whether magnetic massive stars are found in very young star-forming regions or whether they are formed in close interacting binary systems.
Methods. In the framework of our ESO Large Program, we carried out low-resolution spectropolarimetric observations with FORS 2 in 2013 April of the three most massive central stars in the Trifid nebula, HD 164492A, HD 164492C, and HD 164492D. These observations indicated a strong longitudinal magnetic field of about 500–600 G in the poorly studied component HD 164492C. To confirm this detection, we used HARPS in spectropolarimetric mode on two consecutive nights in 2013 June.
Results. Our HARPS observations confirmed the longitudinal magnetic field in HD 164492C. Furthermore, the HARPS observations revealed that HD 164492C cannot be considered as a single star as it possesses one or two companions. The spectral appearance indicates that the primary is most likely of spectral type B1–B1.5 V. Since in both observing nights most spectral lines appear blended, it is currently unclear which components are magnetic. Long-term monitoring using high-resolution spectropolarimetry is necessary to separate the contribution of each component to the magnetic signal. Given the location of the system HD 164492C in one of the youngest star formation regions, this system can be considered as a Rosetta Stone for our understanding of the origin of magnetic fields in massive stars.
Key words: binaries: close / stars: early-type / stars: fundamental parameters / stars: magnetic field / stars: variables: general / stars: individual: HD 164492C
© ESO, 2014
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