Aims. The main purpose is to map the radial variation of the stellar space density for the young stellar population in the Galactic anticenter direction in order to understand the structure and location of the Perseus spiral arm. Methods. A uvbyHbeta
Stromgren photometric survey covering 16sqrdeg in the anticenter direction was carried out using the Wide Field Camera at the Isaac Newton Telescope. This is the natural photometric system for identifying young stars and obtaining accurate estimates of individual distances and ages. The calibration to the standard system was undertaken using open clusters. Results. We present a main catalog of 35974 stars with all Stromgren indexes and a more extended one with 96980 stars with partial data. The central 8sqrdeg have a limiting magnitude of V<17m, while the outer region reaches V<15.5m. These large samples will permit us to analyze the stellar surface density variation associated to the Perseus arm also to study the properties of the stellar component and the interstellar extinction in the anticenter direction.
Over the last decade, several groups of young (mainly low-mass) stars have been discovered in the solar neighbourhood (closer than ~100 pc), thanks to cross-correlation between X-ray, optical spectroscopy and kinematic data. These young local associa
tions offer insights into the star formation process in low-density environments, shed light on the substellar domain, and could have played an important role in the recent history of the local interstellar medium. Ages estimates for these associations have been derived in the literature by several ways. In this work we have studied the kinematic evolution of young local associations and their relation to other young stellar groups and structures in the local interstellar medium, thus casting new light on recent star formation processes in the solar neighbourhood. We compiled the data published in the literature for young local associations, including the astrometric data from the new Hipparcos reduction. Using a realistic Galactic potential we integrated the orbits for these associations and the Sco-Cen complex back in time. Combining these data with the spatial structure of the Local Bubble and the spiral structure of the Galaxy, we propose a recent history of star formation in the solar neighbourhood. We suggest that both the Sco-Cen complex and young local associations originated as a result of the impact of the inner spiral arm shock wave against a giant molecular cloud. The core of the giant molecular cloud formed the Sco-Cen complex, and some small cloudlets in a halo around the giant molecular cloud formed young local associations several million years later. We also propose a supernova in young local associations a few million years ago as the most likely candidate to have reheated the Local Bubble to its present temperature.
Context. Recent studies have suggested that moving groups have a dynamic or resonant origin. Under this hypothesis, these kinematic structures become a powerful tool for studying the large-scale structure and dynamics of the Milky Way. Aims. We aim t
o characterize these structures in the U-V-age-[Fe/H] space and establish observational constraints that will allow us to study their origin and evolution. Methods. We apply multiscale techniques -wavelet denoising (WD)- to an extensive compendium of more than 24000 stars in the solar neighbourhood with the best available astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic data. Results. We confirm that the dominant structures in the U-V plane are the branches of Sirius, Coma Berenices, Hyades-Pleiades and Hercules, which are nearly equidistant in this kinematic plane and show a negative slope. The abrupt drops in the velocity distribution are characterized. We find a certain dependence of these kinematic structures on Galactic position with a significant change of contrast among substructures inside the branches. A large spread of ages is observed for all branches. The Hercules branch is detected in all subsamples with ages older than ~ 2 Gyr and the set of the other three branches is well established for stars > 400 Myr. The age-metallicity relation of each branch is examined and the relation between kinematics and metallicity is studied. Conclusions. Not all of these observational constraints are successfully explained by the recent models proposed for the formation of such kinematic structures. Simulations incorporating stellar ages and metallicities are essential for future studies. The comparison of the observed and simulated distributions obtained by WD will provide a physical interpretation of the existence of the branches in terms of local or large-scale dynamics. [Abridged]
We investigate the possible existence of an extended halo of early-type stars around Cygnus OB2, which is hinted at by near-infrared color-color diagrams, and its relationship to Cygnus OB2 itself, as well as to the nearby association Cygnus OB9 and
to the star forming regions in the Cygnus X North complex. A total of 96 early-type stars are identified in the targeted region, which amounts to nearly half of the observed sample. Most of them have featureless near-infrared spectra as expected from OB stars at the available resolution. Another 18 stars that display Brackett emission lines can be divided between evolved massive stars (most likely Be stars) and Herbig Ae/Be stars based on their infrared excesses. A component associated with Cygnus OB9/NGC 6910 is clearly identified, as well as an enhancement in the surface density of early-type stars at Cygnus X North. We also find a field population, consisting largely of early B giants and supergiants, which is probably the same as identified in recent studies of the inner 1-degree circle around Cygnus OB2. The age and large extension of this population discards a direct relationship with Cygnus OB2 or any other particular association. Earlier claims of the possible large extent of Cygnus OB2 beyond its central, very massive aggregate seem to be dismissed by our findings. The existence of a nearly ubiquitous population of evolved stars with massive precursors suggests a massive star formation history in Cygnus having started long before the formation of the currently observed OB associations in the region.
