Mapping the youngest and most massive stars in the Tarantula nebula with MUSE-NFM

TL;DR

This paper presents the first high-resolution spectral mapping of the dense stellar core R136 in the Tarantula nebula using MUSE-NFM, enabling detailed analysis of the most massive stars and their influence on the interstellar medium.

Contribution

It provides the first homogeneous spectral analysis of the most massive stars in R136 using MUSE-NFM, advancing understanding of massive star evolution.

Findings

First mapping of R136 with MUSE-NFM

Homogeneous analysis of massive stars

Insights into star-ISM interactions

Abstract

The evolution of the most massive stars is a puzzle with many missing pieces. Statistical analyses are the key to provide anchors to calibrate theory, however performing these studies is an arduous job. The state-of-the-art integral field spectrograph MUSE has stirred up stellar astrophysicists who are excited about the capability to take spectra of up to a thousand stars in a single exposure. The excitement was even higher with the commissioning of the MUSE narrow-field-mode (NFM) that has demonstrated angular resolutions akin to the Hubble Space Telescope. We present the first mapping of the dense stellar core R136 in the Tarantula nebula based on a MUSE-NFM mosaic. We aim to deliver the first homogeneous analysis of the most massive stars in the local Universe and to explore the impact of these peculiar objects to the interstellar medium.