The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey: The Fastest Rotating O-type Star and Shortest Period LMC Pulsar—Remnants of a Supernova Disrupted Binary?
Abstract
We present a spectroscopic analysis of an extremely rapidly rotating late O-type star, VFTS102, observed during a spectroscopic survey of 30 Doradus. VFTS102 has a projected rotational velocity larger than 500 km s-1 and probably as large as 600 km s-1 as such it would appear to be the most rapidly rotating massive star currently identified. Its radial velocity differs by 40 km s-1 from the mean for 30 Doradus, suggesting that it is a runaway. VFTS102 lies 12 pc from the X-ray pulsar PSR J0537-6910 in the tail of its X-ray diffuse emission. We suggest that these objects originated from a binary system with the rotational and radial velocities of VFTS102 resulting from mass transfer from the progenitor of PSR J0537-691 and the supernova explosion, respectively.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1088/2041-8205/743/1/L22
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1111.0157
- Bibcode:
- 2011ApJ...743L..22D
- Keywords:
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- Magellanic Clouds;
- pulsars: individual: PSR J0537-6910;
- stars: early-type;
- stars: evolution;
- stars: rotation;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted by ApJL