SOAR optical and near-infrared spectroscopic survey of newly discovered massive stars in the periphery of Galactic Massive star clusters I - NGC3603

TL;DR

This study uses SOAR spectroscopy to identify and analyze very massive stars outside NGC 3603's core, revealing new stellar types and masses, including rare O2V and O2If* stars, and suggesting dynamical ejection processes.

Contribution

First spectroscopic confirmation of very massive stars outside NGC 3603's center, including new O2V and O2If* stars, expanding understanding of massive star distribution and formation.

Findings

Discovery of several very massive stars with initial masses above 100 Msun.

Identification of the first O2V star in the Milky Way.

Observation of an isolated O3.5If* star possibly ejected dynamically.

Abstract

In this work, we present a spectroscopic study of very massive stars found outside the center of the massive stellar cluster NGC3603. From the analysis of SOAR spectroscopic data and related optical-NIR photometry, we confirm the existence of several very massive stars in the periphery of NGC 3603. The first group of objects (MTT58, WR42e and RFS7) is compound by three new Galactic exemplars of the OIf*/WN type, all of them with probable initial masses well above 100 Msun and estimated ages of about 1 Myr. Based on Goodman blue-optical spectrum of MTT68, we can confirm the previous finding in the NIR of the only other Galactic exemplar (besides HD93129A) of the O2If* type known to date. Based on its position relative to a set of theoretical isochrons in a Hertzprung-Russel diagram, we concluded that the new O2If* star could be one of the most massive (150 Msun) and luminous (Mv=-7.3) O-star in the Galaxy. Also, another remarkable result is the discovery of a new O2V star (MTT31) that is the first exemplar of the class so far identified in the Milk Way. From its position in the Hertzprung-Russel diagram it is found that this new star probably had an initial mass of 80 Msun, as well as an absolute magnitude Mv=-6.0 corresponding to a luminosity similar to other known O2V stars in the LMC. We also communicate the discovery of a new Galactic O3.5If* star (RFS8) which case is quite intriguing. Indeed, It is located far to the south of the NGC 3603 center, in apparent isolation at a large radial projected linear distance of 62 pc. Its derived luminosity is similar to that of the other O3.5If* (Sh18) found in the NGC 3603's innermost region. The fact that a such high mass star is observed far isolated in the field led us to speculate that perhaps it could have been expelled from the innermost parts of the complex by a close fly-by dynamical encounter with a very massive hard binary system.