Search for Distant Hypervelocity Star Candidates Using RR Lyrae Stars

Abstract Hypervelocity stars (HVSs) are stars with velocities exceeding their local escape velocities. Searching for HVSs and studying their origins can be an important way to study the properties of the Milky Way. In this paper, we utilize precise distances for RR Lyrae stars (RRLs) derived from the period-absolute magnitude–metallicity relation, along with proper motions from Gaia DR3, to conduct a large-volume search for HVSs. Our sample consists of a catalog with 8172 RRLs with metallicity, distance, and radial velocities estimated from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and LAMOST spectroscopic data and an extended catalog of 135,873 RRLs with metallicity and distance estimated from Gaia photometry. After careful quality cuts, 165 hypervelocity RRL candidates were found. We performed further checks on their light curves and selected the most reliable 87 hypervelocity RRLs. All of them exceed the Milky Way’s escape velocity in the tangential component. Among them, seven stars have tangential velocity over 800 km s −1 . We identified two spatially distinct distributions of hypervelocity RRLs: one concentrated toward the Galactic center and another localized around the Magellanic Clouds, suggesting that their origins are likely associated with these regions through the Hills or other mechanisms. Furthermore, we detected a significant number of RRLs associated with dwarf galaxies that exceed the Milky Way’s escape velocity, likely ejected from their host systems. Future Gaia releases and spectroscopic follow-up observations will provide further insight into their ejection origin.