paper

Fundamental Parameters of 4 Massive Eclipsing Binaries in Westerlund 1

arXiv:1009.4709 · doi:10.1017/S1743921311011240

Abstract

Westerlund 1 is one of the most massive young clusters known in the Local Group, with an age of 3-5 Myr. It contains an assortment of rare evolved massive stars, such as blue, yellow and red supergiants, Wolf-Rayet stars, a luminous blue variable, and a magnetar, as well as 4 massive eclipsing binary systems (Wddeb, Wd13, Wd36, WR77o, see Bonanos 2007). The eclipsing binaries present a rare opportunity to constrain evolutionary models of massive stars, the distance to the cluster and furthermore, to determine a dynamical lower limit for the mass of a magnetar progenitor. Wddeb, being a detached system, is of great interest as it allows determination of the masses of 2 of the most massive unevolved stars in the cluster. We have analyzed spectra of all 4 eclipsing binaries, taken in 2007-2008 with the 6.5 meter Magellan telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, and present fundamental parameters (masses, radii) for their component stars.

2 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the IAUS 272 on "Active OB stars: structure, evolution, mass loss and critical limits" (Paris, July 19-23, 2010), Cambridge University Press. Editors C. Neiner, G. Wade, G. Meynet and G. Peters

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