Asymmetric Ejecta of Cool Supergiants and Hypergiants in the Massive Cluster Westerlund 1

Abstract

We report new 5.5 GHz radio observations of the massive star cluster Westerlund 1, taken by the Australia Telescope Compact Array, detecting nine of the ten yellow hypergiants (YHGs) and red supergiants (RSGs) within the cluster. Eight of nine sources are spatially resolved. The nebulae associated with the YHGs Wd1-4a, -12a and -265 demonstrate a cometary morphology - the first time this phenomenon has been observed for such stars. This structure is also echoed in the ejecta of the RSGs Wd1-20 and -26; in each case the cometary tails are directed away from the cluster core. The nebular emission around the RSG Wd1-237 is less collimated than these systems but once again appears more prominent in the hemisphere facing the cluster. Considered as a whole, the nebular morphologies provide compelling evidence for sculpting via a physical agent associated with Westerlund 1, such as a cluster wind.

arXiv comment5 pages, 2 figures, Acccepted for publication in MNRAS

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• Radio Stars: from kHz to THz
• Stellar Population Diagnostics of the Massive Star Binary Fraction
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• A massive nebula around the Luminous Blue Variable star RMC143 revealed by ALMA
• Investigating dusty Red Supergiant outflows in Westerlund 1 with 3D Hydrodynamic simulations
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