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MPIfR Optical & Infrared Interferometry Group


T. Preibisch, E. Guenther, and H. Zinnecker

A large spectroscopic survey for young low-mass members of the Upper Scorpius OB Association

Astronomical Journal 121, 1040-1049 (2001)


Abstract. We present the results of a large intermediate-resolution spectroscopic survey for pre-main sequence (PMS) stars in the Upper Scorpius OB association, the most nearby region of recent massive star formation. Utilizing the multi-object spectrograph 2dF at the Anglo-Australian-Telescope, we obtained spectra of 576 stars with magnitudes R = [12.5 - 16.5] in a 6 square-degree area in Upper Scorpius. Among these objects we were able to identify 98 new PMS stars, nearly all of them M-type stars, by their strong lithium absorption lines. We place the new PMS stars into the HR diagram and find that their ages agree well with the mean age of 5 Myr determined in our earlier investigation (Preibisch & Zinnecker 1999) based on a smaller sample of stars. The number of low-mass (M_star ~ [0.1 - 0.5] M_sun) members is at least as high as expected from the know number of high-mass (M_star <= 3 M_sun) association members and recent determinations of the field star IMF. Thus, there is no deficit of low-mass stars in Upper Scorpius.

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