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Paper: Two B's, or Not Two B's? An NPOI Survey of Massive Stars
Volume: 487, Resolving The Future Of Astronomy With Long-Baseline Interferometry
Page: 251
Authors: De Rosa, R. J.; Patience, J.; Zavala, R. T.; Prato, L.; Marois, C.; Thomas, S.
Abstract: Surveys of massive O- and B-type stars suggest a significantly higher multiplicity fraction than for Solar-type primaries, but coverage over the complete separation range is incomplete. Understanding the distribution of the separation of these companions is important when considering the formation and survivability of disks and proto-planetary systems around these massive stars. We detail the status of an ongoing volume-limited (D < 75 parsecs) multiplicity survey of B-type stars covering this important separation range between 1 and 15AU, complemented by AO observations to resolve wider companions. The angular resolution provided by the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) allows for the detection of close (5–700mas) binaries with a magnitude difference reaching Δ R of ∼3. With our large, unbiased volume-limited sample of 69 targets, these observations will allow for the first constraint on the multiplicity of these massive stars over this separation range. This survey will be complementary to both previous spectroscopic surveys and speckle interferometry observations. Newly resolved companions within this study will make ideal targets for follow-up interferometric observations to detect orbital motion and determine their orbital parameters. Future interferometers will extend this work to closer, fainter companions around both these targets and intrinsically fainter A-type stars.
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