MULTIPLICITY STUDY OF MASSIVE STARS THROUGH HIGH-CONTRAST IMAGING OBSERVATIONS

Stars are among the most fundamental objects in the universe, driving the evolution of any stellar system, cluster or galaxy. Massive stars in particular are among the most important cosmic engines, and they are important for the feedback they have on their environment as well as the production and dispersal of heavy elements. An accurate knowledge of the physical mechanisms to form stars is necessary to understand the evolution of the Universe from the earliest times after the Big Bang until today. 
As most of these stars are found in binary and higher multiple systems, the study of their multiplicity properties is crucial to constrain their formation mechanisms. Specifically, the orbital parameter distributions are the tracers of the formation scenarios. If, on the one hand, low-mass star formation is quite well-understood, on the other hand, many aspects of high-mass star formation are still poorly constrained, and only a rudimentary knowledge of the intrinsic distributions of massive binaries is available.
In this project, we will perform the highest contrast imaging survey ever of a very young population of nearby massive stars, to achieve a complete and unbiased view of their initial multiplicity properties over the ranges relevant to test massive star formation theories. In particular, through high-contrast imaging observations we will explore the separation range where companions formed by the remnants of the fragmented disk are expected to be found.