No Arabic abstract
YZ Phe is a very short-period contact binary (Sp.= $K2,V$) with an orbital period of 0.2347 days near the short period limit (0.22 d). We present the complete light curves in $VRI$ bands, which photometric data were obtained with the 0.61-m telescope of PROMPT-8 at CTIO in Chile during June to October 2016 and August 2017. The photometric solutions were determined by using the W-D method and the results reveal that YZ Phe is a W-subtype shallow contact binary ($fsim$ 10%, $q$ = 2.635 or $1/q$ = 0.379 for W subtype) with rotational motion of a large hot spot on the more massive component, showing a strong OConnell effect with variation of maxima in photometric time series at period of 4.20 yr and stellar cycle at period of 1.28 yr. By compiling all available eclipse times, the result shows a long-term period decrease at a rate of $mathrm{d}P/mathrm{d}t = -2.64(pm 0.02)times 10^{-8}$ d $yr^{-1}$, superimposed on a cyclic variation ($A_3$ = 0.0081 days and $P_3$ = 40.76 years). This variation cannot be explained by Applegate mechanism. Thus, the cyclic change may be interpreted as light-travel time effect via the presence of a cool third body. Based on photometric solutions, the third light was detected with 2% contribution of total light in $V$ and $I$ bands. Those support the existence of a third body. For the long-term period decrease, it can be explained by mass transfer from the more massive component ($M_2 sim 0.74 M_{odot}$) to the less massive one ($M_1 sim 0.28 M_{odot}$) or plus AML via magnetic braking. With $1/q$ $<$ 0.4 and long-term period decrease, all suggest that YZ Phe is on the AML-controlled state and its fill-out factor will increase, as well as the system will evolve into a deeper normal contact binary.
Two sets of light curves in $V$ $R_c$ $I_c$ bands for a newly discovered binary system UCAC4 436-062932 are obtained and analyzed using the Wilson-Devinney (W-D) code. The two sets of light curves get almost consistent results. The determined mass ratio is about $q = 2.7$ and the less massive component is nearly $250K$ hotter than the more massive one. The solutions conclude that UCAC4 436-062932 is a W-subtype shallow contact (with a contact degree of $f = 20,%$) binary system. Since the OConnell effect appears on one set of the light curves, theories proposed to explain the effect are discussed. We assume that spot model may be the more plausible one to the OConnell effect appeared on the asymmetric light curves of the binary system UCAC4 436-062932. Therefore, we add a cool spot on the surface of the more massive star (component with lower effective temperature) and get a quite approving results for the light curve fitting. It will provide evidence to support the spot model in the explanatory mechanism of OConnell effect.
Context. Despite the fact that VW Cephei is one of the well-studied contact binaries in the literature, there is no fully consistent model available that can explain every observed property of this system. Aims. Our motivation is to obtain new spectra along with photometric measurements, to analyze what kind of changes may have happened in the system in the past two decades, and to propose new ideas for explaining them. Methods. For the period analysis we determined 10 new times of minima from our light curves, and constructed a new O$-$C diagram of the system. Radial velocities of the components were determined using the cross-correlation technique. The light curves and radial velocities were modelled simultaneously with the PHOEBE code. All observed spectra were compared to synthetic spectra and equivalent widths of the H$alpha$ line were measured on their differences. Results. We have re-determined the physical parameters of the system according to our new light curve and spectral models. We confirm that the primary component is more active than the secondary, and there is a correlation between spottedness and the chromospheric activity. We propose that flip-flop phenomenon occurring on the primary component could be a possible explanation of the observed nature of the activity. To explain the period variation of VW Cep, we test two previously suggested scenarios: presence of a fourth body in the system, and the Applegate-mechanism caused by periodic magnetic activity. We conclude that although none of these mechanisms can be ruled out entirely, the available data suggest that mass transfer with a slowly decreasing rate gives the most likely explanation for the period variation of VW Cep.
In this paper, we present the first light curve synthesis and orbital period change analysis of nine contact binaries around the short period limit. It is found that all these systems are W-subtype contact binaries. One of them is a medium contact system while the others are shallow contact ones. Four of them manifest obvious OConnell effect explained by a dark spot or hot spot on one of the component stars. Third light was detected in three systems. By investigating orbital period variations, we found that four of the targets display a secular period decrease while the others exhibit a long-term period increase. The secular period decrease is more likely caused by angular momentum loss while the long-term period increase is due to mass transfer from the less massive component to the more massive one. Based on the statistic of 19 ultrashort period contact binaries with known orbital period changes, we found that seven of them display long-term decrease (three of them also exhibit cyclic variations), ten of them manifest long-term increase while two of them only show cyclic variation and that most of them are shallow contact binaries supporting the long timescale angular momentum loss theory suggested by Stepien. For the three deep contact systems, we found that they are probably triple systems. The tertiary companion plays an essential role during their formation and evolution.
New CCD photometric light curves of short period (P=0.285d) eclipsing binary RW Dor are presented. The observations performed with the PROMPT-8 robotic telescope at CTIO in Chile from March 2015 to March 2017. The other eclipse timings were obtained from the 2.15-m JS telescope at CASLEO, San Juan, Argentina in December 2011. By light-curve analysis, it is found that RW Dor is a W-type shallow contact binary with a fill-out factor $f sim 11%$ and high mass ratio $q sim 1.587$ (1/q = 0.63), where the hotter component is the less massive one ($M_1 sim 0.52M_{odot}$ and $M_2 sim 0.82M_{odot}$). For orbital period investigation, the new fifteen eclipse times and those in previous published were compiled. Based on $O-C$ analysis with very weak evidence suggests that a long-term period decrease with a rate of $mathrm{d}P/mathrm{d}t = -9.61times10^{-9}$ d $textrm{yr}^{-1}$ is superimposed on a cyclic variation ($A_3$ = 0.0054 days and $P_3$ = 49.9 yrs). The long-term period decrease can be interpreted as mass transfer from the more massive component to the less massive one or combine with the angular momentum loss (AML) via magnetic braking. In addition, with the marginal contact phase, high mass ratio (1/q $>$ 0.4) and the long-term period decrease, all suggest that RW Dor is a newly formed contact binary via a Case A mass transfer and it will evolve into a deeper normal contact binary. If the cyclic change is correct, the light-travel time effect via the presence of a cool third body will be more plausible to explain for this.
Orbital period and multi-color light curves investigation of OW Leo are presented for the first time. The orbital period of OW Leo is corrected from $P = 0.325545$ days to $P = 0.32554052$ days in our work, and the observational data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) are used to test the newly determined orbital period. Then, the phased light curves are calculated with the new period and the Wilson-Devinney program is applied to model the light curves, which reveal that OW Leo is a W-subtype shallow contact binary system ($q = 3.05$, $f = 12.8,%$). The absolute physical parameters of the two component stars are estimated to be $M_{1} = 0.31(1)M_odot$, $M_{2} = 0.95(3)M_odot$, $R_{1} = 0.63(1)R_odot$, $R_{2} = 1.04(1)R_odot$, $L_{1} = 0.43(1)L_odot$ and $L_{2} = 1.01(2)L_odot$. The evolutionary status show that the more massive star is less evolved than the less massive star. OW Leo has very low metal abundance, which means its formation and evolution are hardly influenced by any additional component. It is formed from an initially detached binary systems through nuclear evolution and angular momentum loss via magnetic braking, and have passed a very long time of main sequence evolution.