WR20a: a massive cornerstone binary system comprising two extreme early-type stars
G. Rauw, M. De Becker, Y. Naze, P. A. Crowther, E. Gosset, H. Sana, K. A. van der Hucht, J. -M. Vreux, P. M. Williams
Abstract
We analyse spectroscopic observations of WR20a revealing that this star is a massive early-type binary system with a most probable orbital period of 3.675 days. Our spectra indicate that both components are most likely of WN6ha or O3If*/WN6ha spectral type. The orbital solution for a period of 3.675 days yields extremely large minimum masses of 70.7 4.0 and 68.8 3.8 M for the two stars. These properties make WR20a a cornerstone system for the study of massive star evolution.
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