The ρ Ophiuchi region revisited with Gaia EDR3

Author(s)
Natalie Grasser, Sebastian Ratzenböck, João Alves, Josefa Großschedl, Stefan Meingast, Catherine Zucker, Alvaro Hacar Gonzalez, Charles Lada, Alyssa Goodman, Marco Lombardi, John C. Forbes, Immanuel M. Bomze, Torsten Möller
Abstract

Context. Young and embedded stellar populations are important probes of the star formation process. Their properties and the environments they create have the potential to affect the formation of new planets. Paradoxically, we have a better census of nearby embedded young populations than of the slightly more evolved optically visible young populations. The high accuracy measurements and all-sky coverage of Gaia data are about to change this situation.

Aims. This work aims to construct the most complete sample to date of young stellar objects (YSOs) in the ρ Oph region.

Methods. We compile a catalog of 1114 Ophiuchus YSOs from the literature and cross-match it with the Gaia EDR3, Gaia-ESO, and APOGEE-2 surveys. We apply a multivariate classification algorithm to this catalog to identify new, co-moving population candidates.

Results. We find 191 new high-fidelity YSO candidates in the Gaia EDR3 catalog belonging to the ρ Oph region. The new sources appear to be mainly Class III M stars and substellar objects and are less extincted than the known members, while we find that 28 of the previously unknown sources are YSOs with circumstellar disks (Class I or Class II). The analysis of the proper motion distribution of the entire sample reveals a well-defined bimodality, implying two distinct populations sharing a similar 3D volume. The first population comprises young stars’ clusters around the ρ Ophiuchi star and the main Ophiuchus clouds (L1688, L1689, L1709). In contrast, the second population is slightly older (∼10 Myr), more dispersed, has a distinct proper motion, and is possibly from the Upper Sco group. The two populations are moving away from each other at about 4.1 km s−1 and will no longer overlap in about 4 Myr. Finally, we flag 17 sources in the literature sample as likely impostors, which are sources that exhibit large deviations from the average properties of the ρ Oph population. Our results show the importance of accurate 3D space and motion information for improved stellar population analysis.

Organisation(s)
Department of Astrophysics, Research Network Data Science
External organisation(s)
Harvard University, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Simons Foundation
Journal
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Volume
652
No. of pages
21
ISSN
0004-6361
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202140438
Publication date
08-2021
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103003 Astronomy, 103004 Astrophysics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/49a441c5-b3c7-453f-a021-5da8bcf16ebb