Spinning like a Blue Straggler: the population of fast rotating Blue Straggler stars in Omega Centauri

TL;DR

This study measures the rotational velocities of 109 Blue Straggler stars in Omega Centauri, revealing a high fraction of fast rotators and suggesting recent formation or inefficient braking mechanisms in the cluster's outskirts.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed rotational velocity distribution of BSSs in Omega Centauri, highlighting a significant population of fast rotators similar to M4.

Findings

Approximately 40% of BSSs have vsini >40 km/s

About 20% of BSSs have vsini >70 km/s

Possible radial variation in fast rotator fraction

Abstract

By using high-resolution spectra acquired with FLAMES-GIRAFFE at the ESO/VLT, we measured radial and rotational velocities for 110 Blue Straggler stars (BSSs) in Omega Centauri, the globular cluster-like stellar system harboring the largest known BSS population. According to their radial velocities, 109 BSSs are members of the system. The rotational velocity distribution is very broad, with the bulk of BSSs spinning at less than ~40 km/s (in agreement with the majority of such stars observed in other globular clusters) and a long tail reaching ~200 km/s. About 40% of the sample has vsini >40 km/s and about 20% has vsini >70 km/s. Such a large fraction is very similar to the percentage of of fast rotating BSSs observed in M4. Thus, Omega Centauri is the second stellar cluster, beyond M4, with a surprisingly high population of fast spinning BSSs. We found a hint of a radial behaviour of the fraction of fast rotating BSSs, with a mild peak within one core radius, and a possibile rise in the external regions (beyond four core radii). This may suggest that recent formation episodes of mass transfer BSSs occurred preferentially in the outskirts of Omega Centauri, or that braking mechanisms able to slow down these stars are least efficient in lowest density environments.