| Name: | Abhinna Sundar Samantaray |
| Affiliation: | Astronomisches-Rechen Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg |
| Conference ID: | ASI2025_64 |
| Title: | Be Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) |
| Authors: | Abhinna Sundar Samantaray 1, Eva K. Grebel 1, Anna Pasquali 1, Holger Baumgardt 2, Vincenzo Ripepi 3 |
| Authors Affiliation: | 1 Astronomisches-Rechen Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, 12-14, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany 2 School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia 3 INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Via Moiariello 16, I-80131 Napoli, Italy |
| Mode of Presentation: | Poster |
| Abstract Category: | Galaxies and Cosmology |
| Abstract: | Star clusters, once thought to be simple, coeval systems, often harbor multiple stellar populations with distinct chemical compositions and ages. In this talk, I will discuss the role of stellar rotation in driving this phenomenon, with a focus on how rotational mixing and mass loss can create chemical and evolutionary diversity within clusters. I will discuss how rapidly rotating Be stars - characterized by their hydrogen emission lines (Hα and Hβ), decretion gas disks, and high rotational velocities can contribute to the formation of multiple populations through mechanisms such as chemical enrichment, rotationally-induced evolutionary differences, and material ejection. We conducted a search for Be star candidates in the star clusters (SCs) (and in the field) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and the Bridge using the STEP survey, carried out with the VLT Survey Telescope (VST). With the help of STEP deep Hα photometry, we retrieved numerous new Be star candidates in the 64 Young SCs and their field, compared to the literature-based observations. Serendipitously, during our Be star hunt, we confirmed some known Planetary Nebulae (PNe) (and some other emission stars like Herbig Ae/Be stars, C stars, Mira variables, etc.), and found some new PNe candidates with extremely high Hα emission using STEP photometry. |
