Be Star demographics: The Be star content of Young Open Clusters in the Magellanic Clouds

• Grant number: 25/13625-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Stellar Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Alex Cavaliéri Carciofi
• Grantee: Vittória Leme Schiavolim
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/04055-8 - High precision spectroscopy: from the first stars to planets, AP.TEM

Abstract

Be stars are rapidly rotating B-type stars surrounded by circumstellar disks, whose formation and variability remain open questions in stellar astrophysics. This project aims to apply a dynamic classification to Be star candidates in the young open clusters NGC 0330 and NGC 1850, located in the Magellanic Clouds. Using long-term photometric data from the OGLE survey, we will identify the morphology of the light curves and study disk activity episodes, computing two key parameters: the duty cycle (DC), which quantifies the fraction of time a star actively feeds its disk, and the disk duty cycle (DDC), indicating how long a disk is present and observable.By combining this time-domain analysis with existing H alpha imaging, we will build a validated catalog of Be stars in both clusters, distinguishing between active, quiescent, and potential non-Be H alpha emitters. This work will provide a more accurate estimate of the Be/(B+Be) fraction in these clusters and lay the foundation for future studies on Be star demographics and evolution in environments with different metallicities. (AU)