Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-lvtdw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-01T20:13:50.676Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The massive star-forming region Cygnus OB2

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2010

N. J. Wright
Affiliation:
Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
J. J. Drake
Affiliation:
Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We present results from a catalogue of 1696 X-ray point sources detected in the massive star-forming region Cygnus OB2, the majority of which have optical or near-infrared associations. We derive ages of 3.5 and 5.25 Myr for the stellar populations in our two fields, in agreement with recent studies that suggest that the central 1–3 Myr-old OB association is surrounded and contaminated by an older population with an age of 5–10 Myr. The fraction of sources with protoplanetary disks, as traced by K-band excesses, is unusually low. Although this has previously been interpreted as due to the influence of the large number of OB stars in Cyg OB2, contamination from an older population of stars in the region could also be responsible. An initial mass function is derived and found to have a slope of Γ = −1.27, in agreement with the canonical value. Finally, we introduce the recently approved Chandra Cygnus OB2 Legacy Survey that will image a 1 square degree area of the Cygnus OB2 association to a depth of 120~ks, likely detecting ~ 10 000 stellar X-ray sources.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

References

Comerón, F., Pasquali, A., Figueras, F., & Torra, J. 2008, A&A, 486, 453Google Scholar
Cutri, R. M., et al. , 2003, The IRSA 2mass Point Source CatalogGoogle Scholar
Drew, J. E., et al. , 2005, MNRAS, 362, 753Google Scholar
Drew, J. E., Greimel, R., Irwin, M. J., & Sale, S. E. 2008, MNRAS, 386, 1761Google Scholar
Elmegreen, B. G., 1985, in: Black, D. C. & Matthews, M. S., Protostars and Planets II, p. 33, Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona PressGoogle Scholar
Getman, K. V., et al. 2005, ApJS, 160, 319CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knödlseder, J., 2000, A&A, 360, 539Google Scholar
Kroupa, P., 2002, Science, 295, 82Google Scholar
Lawrence, A., et al. , 2007, MNRAS, 379, 1599Google Scholar
Hanson, M. M., 2003, ApJ, 597, 957Google Scholar
Massey, P. & Thompson, A. B., 1991, AJ, 101 1408Google Scholar
Preibisch, T. & Feigelson, E. D. 2005, ApJS, 160, 390CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siess, L., Dufour, E., & Forestini, M., 2000, A&A, 358, 593Google Scholar
Wright, N. J. & Drake, J. J., 2009, ApJS, 184, 84Google Scholar