Program: GN-2008A-Q-85
Title: | Binaries among the Most Massive Stars |
PI: | Douglas R Gies |
Co-I(s): | Saida Caballero-Nieves |
Abstract
We propose to continue a high angular resolution survey of
the most massive stars in the nearby complex Cyg OB2.
We will use Gemini-N ALTAIR/NIRI observations to search for
astrometric companions in the separation range of 0.06 -
10 arcsec with a magnitude difference less than 10 mag.
The observations will test the idea that
the formation of very massive stars involves binary stars
that are formed through disk fragmentation or capture.
Discovery of companions in this relatively nearby cluster will provide
guidance in the interpretation of apparently supermassive
stars in distant locations. The large dynamic range of the
observations will reveal any low mass companions that are present.
The survey will also be important for verification of fundamental parameters
derived from spectroscopy, adjustments to main sequence fitting
and distance estimates, identification of colliding wind binaries,
and discovery of binaries amenable to future mass determinations.
The massive star environment in Cyg OB2 may be similar to that of
the earliest epoch of star formation, so that a
study of the role of binaries there will help us understand
the formation of the first stars in the Universe.
Publications using this program's data
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[data]
[ADS] A High Angular Resolution Survey of Massive Stars in Cygnus OB2: JHK Adaptive Optics Results from the Gemini Near-Infrared Imager