HD 164492C: a rapidly rotating, Hα-bright, magnetic early B star associated with a 12.5 d spectroscopic binary

We employ high-resolution spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry to derive the physical properties and magnetic characteristics of the multiple system HD 164492C, located in the young open cluster M20. The spectrum reveals evidence of three components: a broad-lined early B star (HD 164492C1), a narrow-lined early B star (HD 164492C2) and a late B star (HD 164492C3). Components C2 and C3 exhibit significant (>100 km s^-1) bulk radial velocity variations with a period of 12.5351(7) d that we attribute to eccentric binary motion around a common centre-of-mass. Component C1 exhibits no detectable radial velocity variations. Using constraints derived from modelling the orbit of the C2+C3 binary and from synthesis of the combined spectrum, we determine the approximate physical characteristics of the components. We conclude that a coherent evolutionary solution consistent with the published age of M20 implies a distance to M20 of 0.9 ± 0.2 kpc, corresponding to the smallest published values. We confirm the detection of a strong magnetic field in the combined spectrum. The field is clearly associated with the broad-lined C1 component of the system. Repeated measurement of the longitudinal magnetic field allows the derivation of the rotation period of the magnetic star, P_rot = 1.369 86(6) d. We derive the star's magnetic geometry, finding I=63± 6°, β =33± 6° and a dipole polar strength B_d=7.9^{+1.2}_{-1.0} kG. Strong emission - varying according to the magnetic period - is detected in the Hα profile. This is consistent with the presence of a centrifugal magnetosphere surrounding the rapidly rotating magnetic C1 component.