The young massive SMC cluster NGC 330 seen by MUSE III. Stellar parameters and rotational velocities

Understand

The origin of initial rotation rates of stars, and how a star's surface rotational velocity changes during the evolution, either by internal angular momentum transport or due to interactions with a binary companion, remain open questions in stellar astrophysics.

• Here, we aim to derive the physical parameters and study the distribution of (projected) rotational velocities of B-type stars in the 35 Myr-old, massive cluster NGC 330 in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
• NGC 330 is in an age range where the number of post-interaction binaries is predicted to be high near the cluster turnoff (TO).
• We develop a simultaneous photometric and spectroscopic grid-fitting method adjusting atmosphere models on multi-band Hubble Space Telescope photometry and Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer spectroscopy.