Do you want to publish a course? Click here

Triple-Star Candidates Among the Kepler Binaries

224   0   0.0 ( 0 )
 Added by Saul Rappaport
 Publication date 2013
  fields Physics
and research's language is English




Ask ChatGPT about the research

We present the results of a search through the photometric database of eclipsing Kepler binaries (Prsa et al. 2011; Slawson et al. 2011) looking for evidence of hierarchical triple star systems. The presence of a third star orbiting the binary can be inferred from eclipse timing variations. We apply a simple algorithm in an automated determination of the eclipse times for all 2157 binaries. The calculated eclipse times, based on a constant period model, are subtracted from those observed. The resulting O-C (observed minus calculated times) curves are then visually inspected for periodicities in order to find triple-star candidates. After eliminating false positives due to the beat frequency between the ~1/2-hour Kepler cadence and the binary period, 39 candidate triple systems were identified. The periodic O-C curves for these candidates were then fit for contributions from both the classical Roemer delay and so-called physical delay, in an attempt to extract a number of the system parameters of the triple. We discuss the limitations of the information that can be inferred from these O-C curves without further supplemental input, e.g., ground-based spectroscopy. Based on the limited range of orbital periods for the triple star systems to which this search is sensitive, we can extrapolate to estimate that at least 20% of all close binaries have tertiary companions.



rate research

Read More

156 - J. H. Steffen 2011
We present a hierarchical triple star system (KIC 9140402) where a low mass eclipsing binary orbits a more massive third star. The orbital period of the binary (4.98829 Days) is determined by the eclipse times seen in photometry from NASAs Kepler spacecraft. The periodically changing tidal field, due to the eccentric orbit of the binary about the tertiary, causes a change in the orbital period of the binary. The resulting eclipse timing variations provide insight into the dynamics and architecture of this system and allow the inference of the total mass of the binary ($0.424 pm 0.017 text{M}_odot$) and the orbital parameters of the binary about the central star.
We search for transits around all known pulsating {delta} Sct variables (6500 K < Teff < 10 000 K) in the long-cadence Kepler data after subtracting the pulsation signal through an automated routine. To achieve this, we devise a simple and computationally inexpensive method for distinguishing between low-frequency pulsations and transits in light curves. We find 3 new candidate transit events that were previously hidden behind the pulsations, but caution that they are likely to be false positive events. We also examined the Kepler Objects of Interest catalog and identify 13 additional host stars which show {delta} Sct pulsations. For each star in our sample, we use the non-detection of pulsation timing variations for a planet that is known to be transiting a {delta} Sct variable to obtain both an upper limit on the mass of the planet and the expected radial velocity semi-amplitude of the host star. Simple injection tests of our pipeline imply 100% recovery for planets of 0.5 RJup or greater. Extrapolating our number of Kepler {delta} Sct stars, we expect 12 detectable planets above 0.5 RJup in TESS. Our sample contains some of the hottest known transiting planets around evolved stars, and is the first complete sample of transits around {delta} Sct variables. We make available our code and pulsation-subtracted light curves to facilitate further analysis.
Field stars are frequently formed in pairs, and many of these binaries are part of triples or even higher-order systems. Even though, the principles of single stellar evolution and binary evolution, have been accepted for a long time, the long-term evolution of stellar triples is poorly understood. The presence of a third star in an orbit around a binary system can significantly alter the evolution of those stars and the binary system. The rich dynamical behavior in three-body systems can give rise to Lidov-Kozai cycles, in which the eccentricity of the inner orbit and the inclination between the inner and outer orbit vary periodically. In turn, this can lead to an enhancement of tidal effects (tidal friction), gravitational-wave emission and stellar interactions such as mass transfer and collisions. The lack of a self-consistent treatment of triple evolution, including both three-body dynamics as well as stellar evolution, hinders the systematic study and general understanding of the long-term evolution of triple systems. In this paper, we aim to address some of these hiatus, by discussing the dominant physical processes of hierarchical triple evolution, and presenting heuristic recipes for these processes. To improve our understanding on hierarchical stellar triples, these descriptions are implemented in a public source code TrES which combines three-body dynamics (based on the secular approach) with stellar evolution and their mutual influences. Note that modeling through a phase of stable mass transfer in an eccentric orbit is currently not implemented in TrES , but can be implemented with the appropriate methodology at a later stage.
The paper presents a sample of newly detected eclipsing binaries from the public Kepler data. Orbits and fundamental parameters of 20 unknown eclipsing binaries were determined by modeling of their photometric data. Most of them are well-detached, high-eccentric binaries. We established that the target KID8552719 satisfied all widespread criteria for a planetary candidate. Fitting its light curve we obtained radius R_p=0.9 R_Nept, distance to the host star a = 42.58 Rsun = 0.198 AU and equilibrium temperatute T_p= 489 K. These values imply a Neptune-size object out of the habitable zone of the host star.
Although roughly half of all stars are considered to be part of binary or multiple systems, there are only two confirmed cases of RR Lyrae pulsators with companions. One of them is TU Uma (Wade et al 1999) - a classical RR Lyrae star in a very eccentric orbit - and the other is OGLE-BLG-RRLYR-02792 (Pietrzynski et al 2012). Considering the wealth of well-studied RR Lyrae stars, this number is astoundingly low. Having more RR Lyrae stars in binary systems at hand would be extremely valuable to get independent measurements of the masses. The data from the Kepler mission with their unprecedented precision and the long time span of about four years offer a unique possibility to systematically search for the signatures of binarity in RR Lyrae stars. Using the pulsation as a clock, we studied the variations in the timing of maximum light to hunt for possible binary systems in the sample.
comments
Fetching comments Fetching comments
mircosoft-partner

هل ترغب بارسال اشعارات عن اخر التحديثات في شمرا-اكاديميا