Star clusters are well known for their dynamical interactions, an outcome of their high stellar densities; in this paper, we use multiwavelength observations to search for the unique outcomes of these interactions in three nearby Galactic open clusters (OCs): IC 2602 (30 Myr), NGC 2632 (750 Myr), and M67 (4 Gyr). We compared X-ray observations from all-sky surveys like eROSITA, plus archival observations from Chandra X-ray Observatory, survey radio observations from ASKAP's Evolutionary Map of the Universe survey plus archival VLA observations, in conjunction with new cluster catalogues with Gaia. From X-ray, we found 77 X-ray sources likely associated with IC 2602, 31 X-ray sources in NGC 2632, and 31 near M67's central regions. We were further able to classify these X-ray sources based on their optical variability and any radio emission. Three IC 2602 X-ray sources had radio counterparts, which are likely all chromospherically active binary stars. We also identified luminous radio and X-ray variability from a spectroscopic triple system in M67, WOCS 3012/S1077, which is either consistent with a quiescent black hole binary, or due to an active binary stellar system. A recent population study of optical variables by Anderson & Hunt (2025) shows that the population of optical variables in OCs clearly changes over cluster age; this pilot study gives evidence that the X-ray population also changes with time and demonstrates the need for a broader multiwavelength study of Galactic OCs.

We measure the projected rotational velocities (v sin i ) of solar-like blue straggler stars (BSSs) in the old (>= 4 Gyr) open clusters M67, NGC 188, and NGC 6791. We find that the BSS rotation distribution shows a Kraft break similar to that found in the field. The main-sequence progenitors of these BSSs were cooler than the Kraft break and have spun down by their age. The binary interactions that create BSSs are expected to spin up these progenitors, so current BSS rotation rates are due to transformation and any subsequent spin-down. We observe that BSSs hotter than the Kraft break are rapidly rotating, showing that binary evolution spins up these, and likely all, BSSs to initial rotational periods below 2 days-still below critical velocity. BSSs below the Kraft break currently have slow rotation rates, and those within the Kraft break have a mixture of rotation rates suggesting rotational transition. This dependence of rotation on effective temperature indicates that BSS envelopes behave like those of single stars, becoming convective and generating magnetic fields at the same temperatures. For globular cluster BSSs with [Fe/H] similar to -1.5, we find evidence of a BSS rotation transition region that is 100-250 K hotter than at solar metallicity. We find the vsini distributions of BSSs in open clusters have similar characteristics to both high- and low-density globular clusters, indicating the density of the environment is not the only factor that can determine the rotational distribution. We suggest that velocity dispersion plays an important role.

We examine the blue straggler star (BSS) populations of six old (>= 4 Gyr) open clusters: M67, NGC 188, NGC 6791, Berkeley 32, Berkeley 39, and Trumpler 19. We find that 50% of BSSs have color-magnitude diagram locations corresponding to single stars in the final third of their main-sequence lifetimes. This buildup of BSSs near the terminal-age main sequence (TAMS) is primarily, but not solely, driven by more-massive BSSs. Eleven of the BSSs have white dwarf companions with measured cooling ages; their evolution age distributions indicate that more-massive BSSs typically form far from the zero-age main sequence, whereas lower-mass BSSs can form at every evolutionary age. We show that inferred core helium amounts (above primordial) of late-evolution-age BSSs correspond to the core helium fused by cluster main-sequence stars near the turnoffs. We also find that the masses of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) mass-transfer BSSs require evolved main-sequence accretors and conservative mass transfer. These findings indicate that helium enrichment of progenitor accretors leads to the prevalence of BSSs near the TAMS. We further classify the evolutionary stages of the progenitor donors in M67 and NGC 188 and find mass transfer during the AGB accounts for at least half of the BSSs. We trace how the main-sequence binary population of NGC 188 evolves, and we find that only 30%-40% of interacting binaries create BSSs and that progenitor orbits must change to match current BSS periods.

Context. We present an observational and theoretical study of the complex stellar system S1082 in the open cluster M67. This system consists of at least four stars: a blue straggler in a 1.07-day eclipsing binary with a main sequence star (binary A) and another blue straggler in a 1185-day orbit with an unknown companion (binary B). Aims. We analyzed observational data to obtain the orbital and stellar parameters of the components of the eclipsing system. We then explored mass transfer and dynamical encounter scenarios that could explain the derived properties of all of the components of S1082. Methods. We combined high-precision photometry from K2 and TESS with archival light curves, new radial-velocity measurements, and speckle imaging to refine the orbital and physical parameters of the system. To explore the formation pathways, we conducted binary evolution simulations with MESA and dynamical scattering experiments with FEWBODY, followed by a tidal evolution modeling procedure. Results. Our revised radial-velocity solutions yield significantly changed dynamical masses for binary A, reducing the tension with the cluster turnoff mass compared to previous studies. Speckle imaging shows two resolved components separated by 390 AU in projection and, in combination with the two spectroscopic orbits, this is suggestive of a hierarchical quadruple configuration. Our results suggest that the two blue stragglers formed separately, with later dynamical encounters assembling the present configuration. This work underscores the importance of stellar dynamics in shaping the evolution of complex stellar systems within cluster environments such as M67.

The ages of the most common stars--low-mass (cool) stars like the Sun, and smaller--are difficult to derive because traditional dating methods use stellar properties that either change little as the stars age or are hard to measure. The rotation rates of all cool stars decrease substantially with time as the stars steadily lose their angular momenta. If properly calibrated, rotation therefore can act as a reliable determinant of their ages based on the method of gyrochronology. To calibrate gyrochronology, the relationship between rotation period and age must be determined for cool stars of different masses, which is best accomplished with rotation period measurements for stars in clusters with well-known ages. Hitherto, such measurements have been possible only in clusters with ages of less than about one billion years, and gyrochronology ages for older stars have been inferred from model predictions. Here we report rotation period measurements for 30 cool stars in the 2.5-billion-year-old cluster NGC 6819. The periods reveal a well-defined relationship between rotation period and stellar mass at the cluster age, suggesting that ages with a precision of order 10 per cent can be derived for large numbers of cool Galactic field stars.

The formation of blue straggler stars (BSSs), commonly categorized as stars bluer and brighter than the main sequence turnoff, has puzzled astronomers since their first detection over sixty years ago. The well-studied BSS population of the old (7 Gyr) open cluster NGC 188 has the potential to settle outstanding issues surrounding the frequency of different BSS formation mechanisms. NGC 188 contains 21 BSSs: 15 long-period single-lined binaries, two short-period double-lined binaries, and four non-velocity variables. We present results of the Hubble Space Telescope far-ultraviolet (FUV) ACS/SBC survey of the NGC 188 BSS population. This survey aims to detect white dwarf (WD) companions of BSSs that are indicative of a mass-transfer formation history. We directly detect FUV excesses consistent with four hot WD companions (Teff ≥ 12,000 K). We infer the presence of three additional WD companions with temperatures between 11,000-12,000 K. Since WDs cool as they age, these results indicate that seven BSSs formed through mass transfer within the past 400 Myr. These WD detections set a lower limit mass-transfer formation frequency of 33%. After taking into account other potential formation mechanisms we conclude that 14 long-period binary BSSs likely formed through mass transfer, setting a total NGC 188 BSS mass-transfer formation frequency of 67%. Comparing these results to a sophisticated N-body model of NGC 188 implies that binary population synthesis models underproduce mass transfer products, and the parameterization of stable mass transfer may need to be revisited. Finally, when comparing the optical CMD position of young BSSs to the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS), we find that distance from the ZAMS is not necessarily equivalent to BSS age. One must use caution before using standard single-star isochrones to age luminous BSSs.Support for Program number 12492 was provided by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Incorporated, under NASA contract NAS5-26555. This work was funded by the National Science Foundation grant AST-0908082 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Several possible formation pathways for blue straggler stars have been developed recently, but no one pathway has yet been observationally confirmed for a specific blue straggler. Here we report the first findings from a Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys/Solar Blind Channel far-UV photometric program to search for white dwarf companions to blue straggler stars. We find three hot and young white dwarf companions to blue straggler stars in the 7 Gyr open cluster NGC 188, indicating that mass transfer in these systems ended less than 300 Myr ago. These companions are direct and secure observational evidence that these blue straggler stars were formed through mass transfer in binary stars. Their existence in a well-studied cluster environment allows for observational constraints of both the current binary system and the progenitor binary system, mapping the entire mass transfer history.

We present the discovery of the totally eclipsing long-period (P = 771.8 days) binary system WOCS 23009 in the old open cluster NGC 6819 that contains both an evolved star near central hydrogen exhaustion and a low-mass (0.45M(circle dot)) star. This system was previously known to be a single-lined spectroscopic binary, but the discovery of an eclipse near apastron using data from the Kepler space telescope makes it clear that the system has an inclination that is very close to 90 degrees Although the secondary star has not been identified in spectra, the mass of the primary star can be constrained using other eclipsing binaries in the cluster. The combination of the total eclipses and a mass constraint for the primary star allows us to determine a reliable mass for the secondary star and radii for both stars, and to constrain the cluster age. Unlike well-measured stars of similar mass in field binaries, the low-mass secondary is not significantly inflated in radius compared to model predictions. The primary star characteristics, in combination with cluster photometry and masses from other cluster binaries, indicate a best age of 2.62 +/- 0.25 Gyr, although stellar model physics may introduce systematic uncertainties at the similar to 10% level. We find preliminary evidence that the asteroseismic predictions for red giant masses in this cluster are systematically too high by as much as 8%.

We present an in-depth study of the hard-binary population of the old (7 Gyr) open cluster NGC 188. Utilizing 85 spectroscopic binary orbits out of a complete sample of 129 detected binary members, we study the cluster binary frequency and the distributions of binary orbital elements among the main-sequence (MS), giant, and blue straggler (BS) populations. The results are derived from our ongoing radial velocity survey of the cluster, which spans in magnitude from the brightest stars in the cluster to V = 16.5 (about 1.1-0.9M(circle dot)), and extends to a projected radius of 17 pc (similar to 13 core radii). Our detectable binaries have periods ranging from a few days to of order 104 days, and thus are hard binaries that dynamically power the cluster. The MS solar-type hard binaries in NGC 188 are nearly indistinguishable from similar binaries in the Galactic field. We observe a global solar-type MS hard-binary frequency in NGC 188 of 23% +/- 2%, which when corrected for incompleteness results in a frequency of 29% +/- 3% for binaries with periods less than 104 days. For MS hard binaries in the cluster, we observe a log-period distribution that rises toward our detection limit, a roughly Gaussian eccentricity distribution centered on e = 0.35 (for binaries with periods longer than the circularization period), and a secondary-mass distribution that rises toward lower-mass companions. Importantly, the NGC 188 BS binaries show significantly different characteristics than the solar-type MS binaries in NGC 188. We observe a BS hard-binary frequency of 76% +/- 19%, three times that of the MS. The excess of this binary frequency over the normal MS binary frequency is valid at the > 99% confidence level. Furthermore, the BS binary eccentricity-log-period distribution is distinct from that of the MS at the 99% confidence level, with the majority of the BS binaries having periods of order 1000 days and lower eccentricities. The secondary-mass distribution for these long-period BS binaries is narrow and peaked with a mean value of about 0.5 M-circle dot. Predictions for mass-transfer products are most closely consistent with the binary properties of these NGC 188 BSs, which comprise two-thirds of the BS population. Additionally, we compare the NGC 188 binaries to those evolved within the sophisticated Hurley et al. (2005) N-body open cluster simulation. The MS hard-binary population predicted by the simulation is significantly different from the MS hard-binary population observed in NGC 188, in frequency and distributions of period and eccentricity. Many of these differences result from the adopted initial binary population, while others reflect on the physics used in the simulation (e. g., tidal circularization). Additional simulations with initial conditions that are better motivated by observations are necessary to properly investigate the dynamical evolution of a rich binary population in open clusters like NGC 188.