scholarly journals The Evolution of Binary Stars into Contact States

1989 ◽  
Vol 107 ◽  
pp. 289-297
Author(s):  
R W Hilditch

AbstractGood-quality empirical results on 62 short-period binary stars recently summarised by Hilditch & Bell (1987) and Hilditch, King & McFarlane (1988) are discussed in terms of evolutionary paths from detached to semi-detached and contact states. These data suggest two evolutionary paths to the contact binaries - from detached systems directly into contact to form initially shallow-contact systems, and via case A mass transfer to semi-detached states, thence to contact systems. These empirical results support previous arguments based on evolutionary models and less detailed observational data.Concern is expressed about the paucity of high-quality spectroscopic data, particularly for low-mass systems displaying EB-type light curves and the resultant limitations on analyses of those light curves. Such systems provide tests of evolution into contact for the first time, or of broken-contact phases for WUMa-type binaries. The crucial importance of long-term monitoring (decades) of times of minima as indicators of mass transfer rates amongst these interacting binaries is also noted.

2022 ◽  
Vol 924 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Joseph Patterson ◽  
Jonathan Kemp ◽  
Berto Monard ◽  
Gordon Myers ◽  
Enrique de Miguel ◽  
...  

Abstract We present a study of the orbital light curves of the recurrent nova IM Normae since its 2002 outburst. The broad “eclipses” recur with a 2.46 hr period, which increases on a timescale of 1.28(16) × 106 yr. Under the assumption of conservative mass transfer, this suggests a rate near 10−7 M ⊙ yr−1, and this agrees with the estimated accretion rate of the postnova, based on our estimate of luminosity. IM Nor appears to be a close match to the famous recurrent nova T Pyxidis. Both stars appear to have very high accretion rates, sufficient to drive the recurrent-nova events. Both have quiescent light curves, which suggest strong heating of the low-mass secondary, and very wide orbital minima, which suggest obscuration of a large “corona” around the primary. And both have very rapid orbital period increases, as expected from a short-period binary with high mass transfer from the low-mass component. These two stars may represent a final stage of nova—and cataclysmic variable—evolution, in which irradiation-driven winds drive a high rate of mass transfer, thereby evaporating the donor star in a paroxysm of nova outbursts.


Author(s):  
Yanke Tang ◽  
Yani Guo ◽  
Kai Li ◽  
Ning Gai ◽  
Zhikai Li

Abstract PhotometricanalysisofthecontactbinariesTIC393943031andTIC89428764was carried out usingTESS and SuperWASP data for the first time. Using Wilson-Devinneycode, we have discovered TIC 393943031 is a low-mass-ratio deep contact binary with a fillout factor of 50.9(±1)% and a mass ratio of q = 0.163 ± 0.001. TIC 89428764 is a medium and low-mass-ratio contact binary with a fillout factor of 34.5(±1)% and a mass ratio of q = 0.147±0.001. Furthermore, the period study reveals both the stars exhibit continuously increasing periods, the increasing rate is 4.21×10−7day ·year−1for TIC 393943031while 6.36 × 10−7day · year−1for TIC 89428764. The possible reason is mass transfer from the secondary component to the primary component for both the stars. Meanwhile, we discussed their evolutionary phases and orbital angular momenta.


2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (1) ◽  
pp. 1299-1311
Author(s):  
Heidi B Thiemann ◽  
Andrew J Norton ◽  
Hugh J Dickinson ◽  
Adam McMaster ◽  
Ulrich C Kolb

ABSTRACT We present the first analysis of results from the SuperWASP variable stars Zooniverse project, which is aiming to classify 1.6 million phase-folded light curves of candidate stellar variables observed by the SuperWASP all sky survey with periods detected in the SuperWASP periodicity catalogue. The resultant data set currently contains >1 million classifications corresponding to >500 000 object–period combinations, provided by citizen–scientist volunteers. Volunteer-classified light curves have ∼89 per cent accuracy for detached and semidetached eclipsing binaries, but only ∼9 per cent accuracy for rotationally modulated variables, based on known objects. We demonstrate that this Zooniverse project will be valuable for both population studies of individual variable types and the identification of stellar variables for follow-up. We present preliminary findings on various unique and extreme variables in this analysis, including long-period contact binaries and binaries near the short-period cut-off, and we identify 301 previously unknown binaries and pulsators. We are now in the process of developing a web portal to enable other researchers to access the outputs of the SuperWASP variable stars project.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (S299) ◽  
pp. 32-33
Author(s):  
L.M. Close ◽  
K. Follette ◽  
J.R. Males ◽  
K. Morzinski ◽  
T.J. Rodigas ◽  
...  

AbstractWe utilized the new high-order (250-378 mode) Magellan Adaptive Optics system (MagAO) to obtain very high-resolution science in the visible with MagAO's VisAO CCD camera. In the good-median seeing conditions of Magellan (0.5–0.7″) we find MagAO delivers individual short exposure images as good as 19 mas optical resolution. Due to telescope vibrations, long exposure (60s) r' (0.63μm) images are slightly coarser at FWHM = 23-29 mas (Strehl ~ 28%) with bright (R < 9 mag) guide stars. These are the highest resolution filled-aperture images published to date. Images of the young (~ 1 Myr) Orion Trapezium θ1 Ori A, B, and C cluster members were obtained with VisAO. In particular, the 32 mas binary θ1 Ori C1C2 was easily resolved in non-interferometric images for the first time. Relative positions of the bright trapezium binary stars were measured with ~ 0.6–5 mas accuracy. In the second commissioning run we were able to correct 378 modes and achieved good contrasts (Strehl>20% on young transition disks at Hα). We discuss the contrasts achieved at Hα and the possibility of detecting low mass (~ 1–5 Mjup) planets (past 5AU) with our new SAPPHIRES survey with MagAO at Hα.


2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (2) ◽  
pp. 2731-2738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dengkai Jiang

ABSTRACT Close detached binaries were theoretically predicted to evolve into contact by three subtypes of case A binary evolution, cases AD, AR, and AS, which correspond to the formation of contact during dynamic-, thermal-, and nuclear-time-scale mass transfer phases, respectively. It is unclear, however, what is the difference between contact binaries in these subtypes, and whether all of these subtypes can account for the formation of observed W Ursae Majoris (W UMa) binaries. Using Eggleton’s stellar evolution code with the non-conservative assumption, I obtained the low-mass contact binaries produced by cases AD, AR, and AS at the moment of contact and their parameter spaces. The results support that the progenitors of low-mass contact binaries are detached binaries with orbital periods shorter than $\sim 2\!-\!5\,$ d, and their borderlines depend strongly on the primary mass. In addition, the period–colour relations for cases AR and AS can be in better agreement with that for observed W UMa candidates, but case AD shows a significantly worse agreement. Moreover, cases AR and AS can produce a short-period limit (corresponding to a low-mass limit) at almost any age, e.g. from young age ($\sim 0.2\,$ Gyr) to old age ($\sim 13\,$ Gyr), agreeing with observed W UMa binaries in star clusters, but no such limit occurs for case AD at any age. These results support that cases AR and AS, as opposed to case AD, can lead to W UMa binaries (including young W UMa binaries).


Author(s):  
Xiao-Hui Fang ◽  
Shengbang Qian ◽  
Miloslav Zejda ◽  
Soonthornthum Boonrucksar ◽  
Xiao Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract 1SWASP J161335.80$-$284722.2 (hereafter J161335) is an eclipsing red-dwarf binary with an orbital period of $0.229778\:$d, which is around the short-period limit for contact binaries. Three sets of multi-color light curves of J161335 were obtained from different telescopes in 2015 and 2016 and are analyzed using the Wilson–Devinney method. We discovered that the system is a W-type contact system with a contact degree of 19% and a high mass ratio of 0.91. By using all available eclipse times, we found that the observed $-$ calculated $(O-C)$ diagram displays a cyclic oscillation with an amplitude of 0.00196($\pm 0.00006)\:$d and a period of 4.79($\pm 0.14)\:$yr while it undergoes a downward parabolic change. This downward variation corresponds to a continuous decrease in the orbital period at a rate of $dP/dt = -4.26(\pm$0.01) $\times$ 10$^{-7}\:$d$\:$yr$^{-1}$. The small-amplitude oscillation is explained as the light travel-time effect from the gravitational influence of a third body with a lowest mass of $M _{3}$ = 0.15($\pm 0.01)M_{\,\odot }$. In solving the light curves, we found that the third light is increasing, with the wavelength suggesting that the third body may be a cool red dwarf. This is in agreement with the results obtained by analyzing the $O-C$ diagram. The tertiary red dwarf is orbiting the central red-dwarf binary at an orbital separation of 2.8($\pm 0.2$) au. These results suggest that the J161335 system may be formed through early dynamical interaction where the original low-mass component was replaced by a higher-mass third body and the lower-mass component was kicked out to a wider orbit. In this way, a hierarchical triple system similar to J161335 with a high-mass-ratio binary and a small close-in third body is formed.


2004 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 169-171
Author(s):  
Gaghik H. Tovmassian ◽  
Sergei V. Zharikov

AbstractWe discovered that the short period cataclysmic variable FS Aur at some epochs shows a photometric period close to the orbital. It exceeds the orbital period by ∽2%, which is a sign of the presence of a permanent superhump in the system. Superhumps tend to appear near short, low amplitude outbursts. We assume that FS Aur possesses a large thermally stable accretion disc and that the outburst may be due to the variable mass transfer rate. This, however, does not alter our previous explanation of yet another, 2.4 times longer than orbital, photometric period of FS Aur, found earlier, and persistently observed in its light curves.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 188-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Schmidtobreick ◽  
C. Tappert

The population of cataclysmic variables with orbital periods right above the period gap are dominated by systems with extremely high mass transfer rates, the so-called SW Sextantis stars. On the other hand, some old novae in this period range which are expected to show high mass transfer rate instead show photometric and/or spectroscopic resemblance to low mass transfer systems like dwarf novae. We discuss them as candidates for so-called hibernating systems, CVs that changed their mass transfer behaviour due to a previously experienced nova outburst. This paper is designed to provide input for further research and discussion as the results as such are still very preliminary.


2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-234
Author(s):  
M. Martignoni ◽  
C. Barani ◽  
F. Acerbi ◽  
R. Michel

The multicolour CCD light curves of the eclipsing binary systems CRTS J213033.6+213159 and 1SWASP J212454.61+203030.8 are presented for the first time, the observations are analyzed using the latest version of the WilsonDevinney code. Both the systems are found to be W UMa contact binaries belonging two different subtypes. All the light curves show the inverse O'Connell effect. By using our 2 times of minimum light for both the systems and the 187 and 105 ToMs extract from the SWASP observations, respectively for CRTS J213033.6+213159 and for 1SWASP J212454.61+203030.8, the orbital periods are here revised. The spectral type K of the systems and their short orbital periods (< 0.3 days), suggests that they are near the shortest period limit. The absolute dimensions are estimated and, from statistical diagrams, it is found that both components of the systems follow the general pattern of the relative subtype of W Ursae Majoris systems.


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