Kinematics of the Galaxy from OB Stars with Data from the Gaia DR2 Catalogue

TL;DR

This study analyzes OB stars using Gaia DR2 data to refine Galactic rotation parameters and spiral density wave characteristics, revealing new insights into the Galaxy's kinematic structure and the impact of calcium distance scale adjustments.

Contribution

It provides updated Galactic rotation curve parameters and spiral wave properties based on a large OB star sample with Gaia DR2 data, including a correction to calcium distance estimates.

Findings

Galactic rotation parameters are precisely determined from 495 OB stars.

The calcium distance scale should be reduced by 13%.

The spiral density wave amplitudes and wavelengths are quantified.

Abstract

We have selected and analyzed a sample of OB stars with known line-of-sight velocities determined through ground-based observations and with trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions from the Gaia DR2 catalogue. Some of the stars in our sample have distance estimates made from calcium lines. A direct comparison with the trigonometric distance scale has shown that the calcium distance scale should be reduced by 13\%. The following parameters of the Galactic rotation curve have been determined from 495 OB stars with relative parallax errors less than 30\%: $(U,V,W)_\odot=(8.16,11.19,8.55)\pm(0.48,0.56,0.48)$ km s$^{-1}$, $\Omega_0=28.92\pm0.39$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-1}$, $\Omega^{'}_0=-4.087\pm0.083$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-2}$ and $\Omega^{''}_0=0.703\pm0.067$ km s$^{-1}$ kpc$^{-3}$, where the circular velocity of the local standard of rest is $V_0=231\pm5$ km s$^{-1}$ (for the adopted $R_0=8.0\pm0.15$ kpc). The parameters of the Galactic spiral density wave have been found from the series of radial, $V_R,$ residual tangential, $\Delta V_{circ}$, and vertical, $W,$ velocities of OB stars by applying a periodogram analysis. The amplitudes of the radial, tangential, and vertical velocity perturbations are $f_R=7.1\pm0.3$ km s$^{-1}$, $f_\theta=6.5\pm0.4$ km s$^{-1}$, and $f_W=4.8\pm0.8$ km s$^{-1}$, respectively; the perturbation wavelengths are $ \lambda_R=3.3\pm0.1$ kpc, $\lambda_\theta=2.3\pm0.2$ kpc, and $ \lambda_W=2.6\pm0.5$ kpc; and the Sun's radial phase in the spiral density wave is $ (\chi_\odot)_R=-135\pm5^\circ$, $(\chi_\odot)_\theta=-123\pm8^\circ$, and $ (\chi_\odot)_W=-132\pm21^\circ$ for the adopted four-armed spiral pattern.