dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaThe Secret Lives of Open Clusters: a Multiwavelength Examination of Three Open Clusters
| Authors | Kristen C. Dage, Emily L. Hunt, Jasmine Anderson-Baldwin, Evangelia Tremou, Khushboo K. Rao, Kwangmin Oh, Malu Sudha, Jarrod Hurley, Robert D. Mathieu, Aarya Patil, Richard M. Plotkin, Andrew M. Hopkins, Jacco Th. van Loon, Jayde Willingham |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | 2601.08087vv1 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.08087 |
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Abstract
Star clusters are well known for their dynamical interactions, an outcome of their high stellar densities; in this paper we use multiwavelength observations to search for the unique outcomes of these interactions in three nearby Galactic open clusters: IC 2602 (30 Myr), NGC 2632 (750 Myr) and M67 (4 Gyr). We compared X-ray observations from all-sky surveys like eROSITA, plus archival observations from Chandra X-ray Observatory, survey radio observations from ASKAP's Evolutionary Map of the Universe survey plus archival VLA observations, in conjunction with new cluster catalogs with Gaia. From X-ray, we found 77 X-ray sources likely associated with IC 2602, 31 X-ray sources in NGC 2632, and 31 near M67's central regions. We were further able to classify these X-ray sources based on their optical variability and any radio emission. Three IC 2602 X-ray sources had radio counterparts, which are likely all chromospherically active binary stars. We also identified luminous radio and X-ray variability from a spectroscopic triple system in M67, WOCS 3012/S1077, which is either consistent with a quiescent black hole binary, or due to an active binary stellar system. A recent population study of optical variables by Anderson & Hunt 2025 shows that the population of optical variables in open clusters clearly changes over cluster age; this pilot study gives evidence that the X-ray population also changes with time, and demonstrates the need for a broader multiwavelength study of Galactic open clusters.
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"abstract": "Star clusters are well known for their dynamical interactions, an outcome of their high stellar densities; in this paper we use multiwavelength observations to search for the unique outcomes of these interactions in three nearby Galactic open clusters: IC 2602 (30 Myr), NGC 2632 (750 Myr) and M67 (4 Gyr). We compared X-ray observations from all-sky surveys like eROSITA, plus archival observations from Chandra X-ray Observatory, survey radio observations from ASKAP\u0027s Evolutionary Map of the Universe survey plus archival VLA observations, in conjunction with new cluster catalogs with Gaia. From X-ray, we found 77 X-ray sources likely associated with IC 2602, 31 X-ray sources in NGC 2632, and 31 near M67\u0027s central regions. We were further able to classify these X-ray sources based on their optical variability and any radio emission. Three IC 2602 X-ray sources had radio counterparts, which are likely all chromospherically active binary stars. We also identified luminous radio and X-ray variability from a spectroscopic triple system in M67, WOCS 3012/S1077, which is either consistent with a quiescent black hole binary, or due to an active binary stellar system. A recent population study of optical variables by Anderson \u0026 Hunt 2025 shows that the population of optical variables in open clusters clearly changes over cluster age; this pilot study gives evidence that the X-ray population also changes with time, and demonstrates the need for a broader multiwavelength study of Galactic open clusters.",
"arxiv_id": "2601.08087",
"authors": [
"Kristen C. Dage",
"Emily L. Hunt",
"Jasmine Anderson-Baldwin",
"Evangelia Tremou",
"Khushboo K. Rao",
"Kwangmin Oh",
"Malu Sudha",
"Jarrod Hurley",
"Robert D. Mathieu",
"Aarya Patil",
"Richard M. Plotkin",
"Andrew M. Hopkins",
"Jacco Th. van Loon",
"Jayde Willingham"
],
"categories": [
"astro-ph.GA",
"astro-ph.HE",
"astro-ph.SR"
],
"license": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"title": "The Secret Lives of Open Clusters: a Multiwavelength Examination of Three Open Clusters",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.08087",
"version": "v1"
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