We discuss recent observational data on the transverse and radial velocities, as well as on the masses of the main components of the Orion Trapezium. Based on the most reliable values of these quantities we study the dynamical evolution of ensembles of multiple systems mimicking the Orion Trapezium. To this end we conduct numerical $N-$body integrations using the observed masses, planar positions and velocities, radial velocities, and random line-of-sight ($z$) positions for all components. We include perturbations in these quantities compatible with the observational errors. We find the dynamical lifetimes of such systems to be quite short, of the order of 10 to 50 thousand years. The end result of the simulations is usually a tight binary, or sometimes a hierarchical triple. The properties of the evolved systems are studied at different values of the crossing times. The frequency distributions of the major semiaxes and eccentricities of the resulting binaries are discussed and compared with observations.
As an illustration of the value of historical measures we present some examples of the dynamical evolution of multiple systems resembling the Orion Trapezium. We constructed models by combining carefully selected historical measures of the separations among components of young massive stellar systems with modern observations. By computing large numbers of fictitious systems resembling real trapezia we were able to simulate the dynamical evolution of such systems. Our results on the dynamical fate of the Orion Trapezium and of ten additional young clusters resembling the Orion Trapezium show ex…
We present the results of a submillimeter interferometric survey of circumstellar disks in the Trapezium Cluster of Orion. We observed the 880 micron continuum emission from 55 disks using the Submillimeter Array, and detected 28 disks above 3sigma significance with fluxes between 6-70 mJy and rms noise between 0.7-5.3 mJy. Dust masses and upper limits are derived from the submillimeter excess above free-free emission extrapolated from longer wavelength observations. Above our completeness limit of 0.0084 solar masses, the disk mass distribution is similar to that of Class II disks in Taurus-A…
Using the novel Diffracto-Astrometry technique, we analyze 44 Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 images of the Orion Trapezium (OT) taken over a span of 12 yr (1995-2007). We measure the relative positions of the six brighter OT components (A-F) and supplement these results with measurements of the relative separations and position angles taken from the literature, thus extending our analysis time base to ~200 yr. For every pair of components we find the relative rate of separation as well as the temporal rate of change of their position angles, which enable us to determine t…
Preliminary results on the ongoing spectroscopic study of the six brightest Orion Trapezium stars is presented here. The main purpose of this work is to better understand the multiplicity and stability of each of these subsystems and the dynamical future of the group. So far the most interesting results reached are: 1) The orbit of the secondary star of the eclipsing Component A (V1016 Ori) is highly inclined with respect to the equatorial plane of its primary star. 2) The also eclipsing binary BM Ori (Trapezium Component B) does have a tertiary member with period about 3.5 years, as proposed …
We present Submillimeter Array observations of the 880 micron continuum emission from three circumstellar disks around young stars in Orion that lie several arcminutes (> 1-pc) north of the Trapezium cluster. Two of the three disks are in the binary system 253-1536. Silhouette disks 216-0939 and 253-1536a are found to be more massive than any previously observed Orion disks, with dust masses derived from their submillimeter emission of 0.045 Msun and 0.066 Msun, respectively. The existence of these massive disks reveals the disk mass distribution in Orion does extend to high masses, and that t…
We compare the observed size distribution of circum stellar disks in the Orion Trapezium cluster with the results of $N$-body simulations in which we incorporated an heuristic prescription for the evolution of these disks. In our simulations, the sizes of stellar disks are affected by close encounters with other stars (with disks). We find that the observed distribution of disk sizes in the Orion Trapezium cluster is excellently reproduced by truncation due to dynamical encounters alone. The observed distribution appears to be a sensitive measure of the past dynamical history of the cluster, a…
The eclipsing binary Theta1 Orionis B1, variable star designation BM Ori, is the faintest of the four well-known Trapezium stars at the heart of the Orion Nebula. The primary is a B3 star (~6Msun) but the nature of the secondary (~2Msun) has long been mysterious, since the duration and shape of primary eclipse are inappropriate for ordinary stars. Here we report nearly continuous photometric observations obtained with the MOST satellite over ~4 cycles of the 6.47d binary period. The light curve is of unprecedented quality, revealing a deep, symmetric primary eclipse as well as a clear reflecti…
We utilized the new high-order (250-378 mode) Magellan Adaptive Optics system (MagAO) to obtain very high spatial resolution observations in "visible light" with MagAO's VisAO CCD camera. In the good-median seeing conditions of Magellan (0.5-0.7") we find MagAO delivers individual short exposure images as good as 19 mas optical resolution. Due to telescope vibrations, long exposure (60s) r' (0.63 micron) images are slightly coarser at FWHM=23-29 mas (Strehl ~28%) with bright (R<9 mag) guide stars. These are the highest resolution filled-aperture images published to date. Images of the young (~…
In this paper, we present a study of the Trapezium cluster in Orion. We analyze flux-calibrated VLT/MUSE spectra of 361 stars to simultaneously measure the spectral types, reddening, and the optical veiling due to accretion. We find that the extinction law from Cardelli et al. (1989) with a total-to-selective extinction value of $R_{\rm V}=$5.5 is more suitable for this cluster. For 68% of the sample the new spectral types are consistent with literature spectral types within 2 subclasses, but as expected, we derive systematically later types than the literature by one to two subclasses for the…
The Chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings (HETG) Orion Legacy Project (HOLP) is the first comprehensive set of observations of a very young massive stellar cluster which provides high resolution X-ray spectra of very young stars over a wide mass range (0.7 - 2.3 Msun). In this paper, we focus on the six brightest X-ray sources with T Tauri stellar counterparts which are well-characterized at optical and infra-red wavelengths. All stars show column densities which are substantially smaller than expected from optical extinction indicating that the sources are located on the near side of the …
The new 8.4m LBT adaptive secondary AO system, with its novel pyramid wavefront sensor, was used to produce very high Strehl (75% at 2.16 microns) near infrared narrowband (Br gamma: 2.16 microns and [FeII]: 1.64 microns) images of 47 young (~1 Myr) Orion Trapezium theta1 Ori cluster members. The inner ~41x53" of the cluster was imaged at spatial resolutions of ~0.050" (at 1.64 microns). A combination of high spatial resolution and high S/N yielded relative binary positions to ~0.5 mas accuracies. Including previous speckle data, we analyse a 15 year baseline of high-resolution observations of…
We use Gaia EDR3 astrometry to propose that a dynamical interaction between the multiple system $θ^1$ Ori C and $θ^1$ Ori F ejected the latter as a walkaway star ~1100 years ago (without deceleration) or somewhat later (with a more likely deceleration included). It is unclear whether the final 3-D velocity of $θ^1$ Ori F will be large enough to escape the Orion nebula cluster.
The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is the nearest dense star-forming region at $\sim$400 pc away, making it an ideal target to study the impact of high stellar density and proximity to massive stars (the Trapezium) on protoplanetary disk evolution. The OMC1 molecular cloud is a region of high extinction situated behind the Trapezium in which actively forming stars are shielded from the Trapezium's strong radiation. In this work, we survey disks at high resolution with ALMA at three wavelengths with resolutions of 0.095\arcsec (3 mm; Band 3), 0.048\arcsec (1.3 mm; Band 6), and 0.030\arcsec (0.85 mm…
We analyse Échelle spectra of $θ^1$ Ori F obtained by us on six nights unevenly distributed along six years; we identify several hundred spectral lines and measure, for the first time, the star's heliocentric radial velocity. We also collect and discuss previously published photometry of $θ^1$ OriF . We find that $θ^1$ Ori F is a Chemically Peculiar (CP) star with overabundant silicon and phosphorus, and possibly other elements as well. From the singly ionised Fe, Cr and Ti lines we estimate its spectral type to be between B7 and B8. The radial velocity of $θ^1$ Ori F is possibly marginally va…
The mass evolution of protoplanetary disks is driven by both internal processes and external factors, such as photoevaporation. Disentangling these two effects, however, has remained difficult. We measure the dust masses of a sample of 132 disks in the Orion Molecular Cloud (OMC)-2 region, and compare them to (i) externally photoevaporated disks in the Trapezium cluster, and (ii) disks in nearby low-mass star forming regions (SFRs). This allows us to test if initial disk properties are the same in high- and low-mass SFRs, and enables a direct measurement of the effect of external photoevaporat…
We have selected archival observational data for several O and B trapezia in the Milky Way. For each of the main components of the trapezia we obtained transverse velocities from the historical separation data. With this information, and with the stellar masses of the main components, we studied the dynamical evolution of ensembles of multiple systems mimicking each one of the trapezia. For this purpose we conducted numerical $N-$body integrations using the best available values for the masses, the observed positions and {\bf transverse} velocities, randomly generated radial velocities, and ra…
We have measured astrometry for members of the Orion Nebula Cluster with images obtained in 2015 with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. By comparing those data to previous measurements with NICMOS on Hubble in 1998, we have discovered that a star in the Kleinmann-Low Nebula, source x from Lonsdale et al. (1982), is moving with an unusually high proper motion of 29 mas/yr, which corresponds to 55 km/s at the distance of Orion. Previous radio observations have found that three other stars in the Kleinmann-Low Nebula (BN and sources I and n) have high proper motions (5-…
The Orion BN/KL complex is the nearest site of ongoing high-mass star formation. Recent proper motion observations provide convincing evidence of a recent (about 500 years ago) dynamical interaction between two massive young stellar objects in the region resulting in high velocities: the BN object and radio Source I. At the same time, Source I is surrounded by a nearly edge-on disc with radius ~50 au. These two observations taken together are puzzling: a dynamical encounter between multiple stars naturally yields the proper motions, but the survival of a disc is challenging to explain. In this…
A close companion of Zeta Orionis A was found in 2000 with the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI), and shown to be a physical companion. Because the primary is a supergiant of type O, for which dynamical mass measurements are very rare, the companion was observed with NPOI over the full 7-year orbit. Our aim was to determine the dynamical mass of a supergiant that, due to the physical separation of more than 10 AU between the components, cannot have undergone mass exchange with the companion. The interferometric observations allow measuring the relative positions of the binary compon…
We present interferometric observations of the sigma Orionis triple system using the CHARA Array, NPOI, and VLTI. Using these measurements, we spatially resolve the orbit of the close spectroscopic binary (Aa,Ab) for the first time and present a revised orbit for the wide pair (A,B). Combining the visual orbits with previously published radial velocity measurements and new radial velocities measured at CTIO, we derive dynamical masses for the three massive stars in the system of M_Aa = 16.99 +/- 0.20 Msun, M_Ab = 12.81 +/- 0.18 Msun, and M_B = 11.5 +/- 1.2 Msun. The inner and outer orbits in t…
We present new 7mm continuum observations of Orion BN/KL with the VLA. We resolve the emission from the protostar radio Source I and BN at several epochs. Source I is highly elongated NW-SE, and remarkably stable in flux density, position angle, and overall morphology over nearly a decade. This favors the extended emission component arising from an ionized disk rather than a jet. We have measured the proper motions of Source I and BN for the first time at 43 GHz. We confirm that both sources are moving at high speed (12 and 26 km/s, respectively) approximately in opposite directions, as previo…
This work reports a high spatial resolution observations toward Orion KL region with high critical density lines of CH$_{3}$CN (12$_{4}$-11$_{4}$) and CH$_{3}$OH (8$_{-1, 8}$-7$_{0, 7}$) as well as continuum at $\sim$1.3 mm band. The observations were made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array with a spatial resolution of $\sim$1.5$^{\prime\prime}$ and sensitives about 0.07 K and $\sim$0.18 K for continuum and line, respectively. The observational results showed that the gas in the Orion KL region consists of jet-propelled cores at the ridge and dense cores at east and south o…
Dynamical masses of YSOs with the VLBA: DYNAMO VLBA: Trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions of YSOs in Orion
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学射电天文学与天体物理研究所）；Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Guanajuato（瓜纳华托大学天文学系）；Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University（哈佛大学黑洞倡议项目）；David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University（哈佛大学大卫·洛克菲勒拉丁美洲研究中心）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Florida（北佛罗里达大学物理与天文学系）；Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica（国家天体物理学、光学和电子学研究所）；Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo（圣保罗大学天文学、地球物理学和大气科学研究所）；National Radio Astronomy Observatory（美国国家无线电天文台）；Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica (FQA), Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那大学量子物理与天体物理学系）；Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那大学宇宙科学研究所）；Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire（赫特福德大学天体物理研究中心）
The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is the most massive region of active star formation within a kpc of the Sun. Using Gaia DR3 parallaxes and proper motions, we examine the bulk motions of stars radially and tangentially relative to the cluster center. We find an age gradient with distance to the stars in the ONC, from 385 pc for the oldest stars, to 395 pc for the younger stars, indicating that the star forming front is propagating into the cloud. We find an organized signature of rotation of the central cluster, but it is present only in stars younger than 2 Myr. We also observe a net infall of …
Young massive stars in the center of crowded star clusters are expected to undergo close dynamical encounters that could lead to energetic, explosive events. However, there has so far never been clear observational evidence of such a remarkable phenomenon. We here report new interferometric observations made with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) that indicate the well known enigmatic wide-angle outflow located in the Orion BN/KL star-forming region to have been produced by such a violent explosion during the disruption of a massive young stellar system, and that this was caused by a close dynamic…
Dynamical masses of young stellar objects with the VLBA: DYNAMO-VLBA: Radio binary stars in Orion
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文研究所）；Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学无线电天文学与天体物理研究所）；Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Guanajuato（瓜纳华托大学天文学系）；Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University（哈佛大学黑洞倡议项目）；David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University（哈佛大学大卫·洛克菲勒拉丁美洲研究中心）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Florida（北佛罗里达大学物理与天文学系）；Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica（国家天文学、光学和电子学研究所）；Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo（圣保罗大学天文学、地球物理学和大气科学研究所）；National Radio Astronomy Observatory（美国国家射电天文台）；Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica (FQA), Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那大学量子物理与天体物理学系）；Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那大学宇宙科学研究所）；Centre for Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire（赫特福德大学天体物理学研究中心）
