The majority of massive stars (> 8 M⊙) in OB associations are found in close binary systems. Nonetheless, the formation mechanism of these close massive binaries is not understood yet. Using literature data, we measured the radial-velocity dispersion (σ1D) as a proxy for the close binary fraction in ten OB associations in the Galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud, spanning an age range from 1 to 6 Myr. We find a positive trend of this dispersion with the cluster’s age, which is consistent with binary hardening. Assuming a universal binary fraction of fbin = 0.7, we converted the σ1D behavior to an evolution of the minimum orbital period Pcutoff from ∼9.5 years at 1 Myr to ∼1.4 days for the oldest clusters in our sample at ∼6 Myr. Our results suggest that binaries are formed at larger separations, and they harden in around 1 to 2 Myr to produce the period distribution observed in few million year-old OB binaries. Such an inward migration may either be driven by an interaction with a remnant accretion disk or with other young stellar objects present in the system. Our findings constitute the first empirical evidence in favor of migration as a scenario for the formation of massive close binaries.

Context. Recently much progress has been made in probing the embedded stages of massive star formation, pointing to formation scenarios that are reminiscent of a scaled-up version of low-mass star formation. However, the latest stages of massive-star formation have rarely been observed, as young massive stars are assumed to reveal their photospheres only when they are fully formed. Aims. Using first and second overtone CO bandhead emission and near- to mid-infrared photometry, we aim to characterize the remnant formation disks around five unique pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars with masses 6–12 M⊙ that have constrained stellar parameters thanks to their detectable photospheres. We seek to understand this emission and the disks from which it originates in the context of the evolutionary stage of the studied sources. Methods. We used an analytic disk model, and adopted local thermodynamical equilibrium, to fit the CO bandhead and the dust emission, assumed to originate in different disk regions. For the first time, we modeled the second overtone emission, which helped us to put tighter constraints on the density of the CO gas. Furthermore, we fit continuum normalized bandheads, using models for stellar and dust continuum, and show the importance of this in constraining the emission region. We also included 13CO in our models as an additional probe of the young nature of the studied objects. Results. We find that the CO emission originates in a narrow region close to the star (<1 AU) and under very similar disk conditions (temperatures and densities) for the different objects. This is consistent with previous modeling of this emission in a diverse range of young stellar objects and identifies CO emission as an indicator of the presence of a gaseous inner disk reaching close to the stellar surface. From constraining the location of the inner edge of the dust emission, we find that all but one of the objects have undisrupted inner dust disks. Conclusions. We discuss these results in the context of the positions of these PMS stars in the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram and the CO emission’s association with an early age and high accretion rates in (massive) young stellar objects. We conclude, considering their mass range and the fact that their photospheres are detected, that the M17 PMS stars are observed in a relatively early formation stage. They are therefore excellent candidates for longer wavelength studies to further constrain the end stages of massive star formation.

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Stars strongly impact their environment, and shape structures on all scales throughout the universe, in a process known as “feedback.” Due to the complexity of both stellar evolution and the physics of larger astrophysical structures, there remain many unanswered questions about how feedback operates and what we can learn about stars by studying their imprint on the wider universe. In this white paper, we summarize discussions from the Lorentz Center meeting “Bringing Stellar Evolution and Feedback Together” in 2022 April and identify key areas where further dialog can bring about radical changes in how we view the relationship between stars and the universe they live in.