The Close Binary Properties of Massive Stars across Different Environments within the LMC
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| author | Moe, Maxwell Oey, M. S. Vargas-Salazar, Irene Kratter, Kaitlin M. |
| author_facet | Moe, Maxwell Oey, M. S. Vargas-Salazar, Irene Kratter, Kaitlin M. |
| contents | We analyze 4,859 O-stars in the OGLE-III photometric survey of the LMC, including 415 eclipsing binaries (EBs). After accounting for the geometrical probability of eclipses, the period distribution of O-type binaries across $P$ = 2.5-200 days follows a power-law $f_{\rm logP}$ $\propto$ (logP)$^Π$ with $Π$ = $-$0.34$\pm$0.06, which is skewed toward shorter periods compared to Opik's law ($Π$ = 0). We divide our O-stars into seven environments based on their clustering with B-stars and other O-stars. The EB fraction of O-stars in young clusters is 10.2%$\pm$0.6%, which matches the 10.8%$\pm$2.1% for O-stars in young Milky Way clusters. O-stars in old clusters exhibit a lower EB fraction of 5.5%$\pm$0.9% due to the effects of binary evolution. O-stars in young dense clusters, young sparse associations, and even low-mass clusters that formed in situ in the field have similar EB fractions. This uniformity suggests that the formation of close massive binaries depends on small-scale gas physics, e.g., fragmentation and migration within protostellar disks, whereas N-body interactions that scale with cluster density do not affect the close binary properties of massive stars that remain in clusters. Conversely, ejected O-stars in the field exhibit a lower close binary fraction. The EB fractions of field walkaways (projected velocities $v_{\rm proj}$ $<$ 24.5 km s$^{-1}$) and field runaways ($v_{\rm proj}$ $>$ 24.5 km s$^{-1}$) are 7.3%$\pm$1.0% and 4.7%$\pm$1.0%, respectively. These values suggest that most field O-stars were dynamically ejected via N-body interactions from their birth clusters, whereas field O-stars that formed in situ or were kicked from supernova explosions in binaries contribute 17% and $<$28%, respectively, to the field population. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_20319 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Close Binary Properties of Massive Stars across Different Environments within the LMC Moe, Maxwell Oey, M. S. Vargas-Salazar, Irene Kratter, Kaitlin M. Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies We analyze 4,859 O-stars in the OGLE-III photometric survey of the LMC, including 415 eclipsing binaries (EBs). After accounting for the geometrical probability of eclipses, the period distribution of O-type binaries across $P$ = 2.5-200 days follows a power-law $f_{\rm logP}$ $\propto$ (logP)$^Π$ with $Π$ = $-$0.34$\pm$0.06, which is skewed toward shorter periods compared to Opik's law ($Π$ = 0). We divide our O-stars into seven environments based on their clustering with B-stars and other O-stars. The EB fraction of O-stars in young clusters is 10.2%$\pm$0.6%, which matches the 10.8%$\pm$2.1% for O-stars in young Milky Way clusters. O-stars in old clusters exhibit a lower EB fraction of 5.5%$\pm$0.9% due to the effects of binary evolution. O-stars in young dense clusters, young sparse associations, and even low-mass clusters that formed in situ in the field have similar EB fractions. This uniformity suggests that the formation of close massive binaries depends on small-scale gas physics, e.g., fragmentation and migration within protostellar disks, whereas N-body interactions that scale with cluster density do not affect the close binary properties of massive stars that remain in clusters. Conversely, ejected O-stars in the field exhibit a lower close binary fraction. The EB fractions of field walkaways (projected velocities $v_{\rm proj}$ $<$ 24.5 km s$^{-1}$) and field runaways ($v_{\rm proj}$ $>$ 24.5 km s$^{-1}$) are 7.3%$\pm$1.0% and 4.7%$\pm$1.0%, respectively. These values suggest that most field O-stars were dynamically ejected via N-body interactions from their birth clusters, whereas field O-stars that formed in situ or were kicked from supernova explosions in binaries contribute 17% and $<$28%, respectively, to the field population. |
| title | The Close Binary Properties of Massive Stars across Different Environments within the LMC |
| topic | Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.20319 |