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Discovery of a WO star in the Scutum-Crux arm of the inner Galaxy

Drew, JE; Barlow, MJ; Unruh, YC; Parker, QA; Wesson, R; Pierce, MJ; Masheder, MRW; (2004) Discovery of a WO star in the Scutum-Crux arm of the inner Galaxy. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , 351 (1) pp. 206-214. 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07771.x. Green open access

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Abstract

We report the discovery of only the fourth massive WO star to be found in the Milky Way, and only the seventh identified within the Local Group. This has resulted from the first observations made in a programme of follow-up spectroscopy of candidate emission-line stars from the AAO/UKST Southern Galactic Plane Hα Survey. The optical spectrum of this star, to become WR 93b in the Catalogue of Galactic Wolf–Rayet stars, is presented and described. WR 93b is classified as WO3 and is shown to be highly reddened [E(B−V) = 2.1 ± 0.1]. A recombination-line analysis of the emission lines yields the abundance ratios C/He = 0.95 and O/He = 0.13 (by number). Comparisons at near-infrared wavelengths of reddening-corrected photometry between WR 93b and both of Sand 2 (WO3, D= 49 kpc) and Sand 5 (WO2, D= 1.75 kpc) yield a consistent distance to WR 93b of 3.4 kpc. Positioned at Galactic coordinates lambda = 353^{\circ}.27, beta = -0^{\circ}.85, the star is most likely located in the Scutum–Crux arm of the inner Milky Way. We note that none of the four Galactic WO stars lies significantly beyond the solar circle (with two well inside). Estimation of the wind terminal velocity in WR 93b at 5750 km s^{-1} makes this star the current wind-speed record holder among all non-degenerate stars.

Type: Article
Title: Discovery of a WO star in the Scutum-Crux arm of the inner Galaxy
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07771.x
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07771.x
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
Keywords: surveys, stars : distances, stars : individual : WR 93b, stars : Wolf-Rayet, Galaxy : stellar content
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10110690
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