The mysterious Of?p class and the magnetic O-star Theta Ori C

TL;DR

This paper reviews the unique physical properties of Of?p stars, including Theta Ori C, highlighting their peculiar phenomena and magnetic characteristics to improve understanding of this rare stellar class.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of Of?p stars and Theta Ori C, elucidating their similarities and differences to advance knowledge of magnetic massive stars.

Findings

Of?p stars exhibit variable line profiles and X-ray overluminosity.

Theta Ori C shares magnetic oblique rotator features with Of?p stars.

The study clarifies the physical distinctions within this peculiar stellar class.

Abstract

In recent years, the stars of the Of?p category have revealed a wealth of peculiar phenomena: varying line profiles, photometric changes, and X-ray overluminosity are only a few of their characteristics. Here we review their physical properties, to facilitate comparisons among the Galactic members of this class. As one of them has been proposed to resemble the magnetic oblique rotator Theta Ori C, though with a longer period, this latter object is also included in our study to illuminate its similarities and differences with the Of?p category.