NGC 6231: X-ray properties of the early-type star population

Based on a deep XMM-Newton observation of the young open cluster NGC6231, we derive the main X-ray properties of its early-type star population. Among the 610 X-ray sources detected in the field, 42 are associated with early-type stars. We investigate their LX/Lbol relationship and confirm the clear dichotomy between O- and B-type stars. The cut-off line between the two behaviours occurs at Lbol ~ 1038 erg s-1 as previously proposed by Berghöfer et al. (1997). The distinction between single and binary stars is not clear cut, except for the colliding wind system HD152248. The X-ray detected B-stars in NGC6231 appear to be more luminous than predicted from the Berghöfer et al. relation. Though this suggests a bimodal distribution of the B-star X-ray emission, we caution however that these results might be biased by detection limits. Finally we investigate the X-ray variability of the detected sources and we find that about 40% of the X-ray emitters in the field of view present consistent signs of variability in the EPIC instruments. This fraction is much larger than previously thought. About one third of the early-type star population, either singles or binaries, further show variability. These variations do not seem to be exclusively related to binarity and could thus not be systematically interpreted in the framework of a wind-wind collision phenomenon.status: publishe