Eclipsing Binaries in the OGLE Variable Star Catalog.III. Long-Period Contact Systems

A sample of contact binaries discovered by the OGLE project in Baade's Window, with orbital periods longer than one day and with available color and light-curve data, has been analyzed. It consists of only 32 systems, in contrast to 388 WUMa-type systems with shorter periods which were analyzed before. Most systems are very distant and are probably located close to or in the galactic Bulge. Two groups of contact binaries are seen in the sample: (1) a continuation of the WUMa-type sequence, extending up to the orbital periods of 1.3 - 1.5 day, but rather sharply ending in this period range; (2) an inhomogeneous group of rare systems with long periods up to 26 days, all with red colors and relatively shallow eclipses. While the systems of the first group share most of the characteristics of the typical WUMa-type systems (except that they are on the average brighter and more distant, hence more reddened), the long-period systems do not seem to form an early-type extension of contact binaries, but may consist of a mixture of late-type objects, including tidally distorted red giants with invisible companions.Comment: 24 pages including 10 figures (inserted with psfig) and one table; submitted to A

Eclipsing Binaries in the OGLE Variable Star Catalogs.V. Long-Period Beta Lyrae-type Systems in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the PLC-beta Relation

Thirty eight long-period (P>10 days), apparently contact binary stars discovered by the OGLE-II project in the SMC appear to be Beta Lyrae-type systems with ellipsoidal variations of the cool components dominating over eclipse effects in the systemic light variations and in the total luminosity. A new period-luminosity- color (PLC) relation has been established for these systems; we call it the PLC-beta relation, to distinguish it from the Cepheid relation. Two versions of the PLC-beta relation - based on the (B-V)0 or (V-I)0 color indices - have been calibrated for 33 systems with (V-I)0>0.25 spanning the orbital period range of 11 to 181 days. The relations can provide maximum-light, absolute-magnitude estimates accurate to epsilon-M_V~0.35 mag. within the approximate range -3<M_V<+1. In terms of their number in the SMC, the long-period Beta Lyrae-type binaries are about 50 times less common than the Cepheids. Nevertheless, their large luminosities coupled with continuous light variations make these binaries very easy to spot in nearby galaxies, so that the PLC-beta relation can offer an auxiliary and entirely independent method of distance determination to nearby stellar systems rich in massive stars. The sample of the long-period Beta Lyrae systems in the SMC analyzed in this paper is currently the best defined and uniform known sequence of such binaries.Comment: submitted for publication in Astronomical Journal; 8 PS figures, 2 table

Marginally low mass ratio close binary system V1191 Cyg

In this study, we present photometric and spectroscopic variations of the extremely small mass ratio ($q\simeq 0.1$) late-type contact binary system \astrobj{V1191 Cyg}. The parameters for the hot and cooler companions have been determined as $M_\textrm{h}$ = 0.13 (1) $M_{\odot}$, $M_\textrm{c}$ = 1.29 (8) $M_{\odot}$, $R_\textrm{h}$ = 0.52 (15) $R_{\odot}$, $R_\textrm{c}$ = 1.31 (18) $R_{\odot}$, $L_\textrm{h}$ = 0.46 (25) $L_{\odot}$, $L_\textrm{c}$ = 2.71 (80) $L_{\odot}$, the separation of the components is $a$= 2.20(8) $R_{\odot}$ and the distance of the system is estimated as 278(31) pc. Analyses of the times of minima indicates a period increase of $\frac{dP}{dt}=1.3(1)\times 10^{-6}$ days/yr that reveals a very high mass transfer rate of $\frac{dM}{dt}=2.0(4)\times 10^{-7}$$M_{\odot}$/yr from the less massive component to the more massive one. New observations show that the depths of the minima of the light curve have been interchanged.Comment: Accepted for publication in New Astronomy, 16 pages, 2 figures, 4 table

Long-term variability survey of the old open cluster NGC 6791

We present the results of a long-term variability survey of the old open cluster NGC 6791. The BVI observations, collected over a time span of 6 years, were analyzed using the ISIS image subtraction package. The main target of our observations were two cataclysmic variables B7 and B8. We have identified possible cycle lenghts of about 25 and 18 days for B7 and B8, respectively. We tentatively classify B7 as a VY Scl type nova-like variable or a Z Cam type dwarf nova. B8 is most likely an SS Cygni type dwarf nova. We have also extracted the light curves of 42 other previously reported variable stars and discovered seven new ones. The new variables show long-period or non-periodic variability. The long baseline of our observations has also allowed us to derive more precise periods for the variables, especially for the short period eclipsing binaries.Comment: 13 pages LaTeX, including 8 PostScript figures and 4 tables. To appear in June 2003 issue of The Astronomical Journa

Radial Velocity Studies of Close Binary Stars.IV

Radial-velocity measurements and sine-curve fits to the orbital velocity variations are presented for the fourth set of ten close binary systems: 44 Boo, FI Boo, V2150 Cyg, V899 Her, EX Leo, VZ Lib, SW Lyn, V2377 Oph, Anon Psc (GSC 8-324), HT Vir. All systems are double-lined spectroscopic binaries with only two of them not being contact systems (SW Lyn and GSC 8-324) and with five (FI Boo, V2150 Cyg, V899 Her, EX Leo, V2377 Oph) being the recent photometric discoveries of the Hipparcos satellite project. Five of the binaries are triple-lined systems (44 Boo, V899 Her, VZ Lib, SW Lyn, HT Vir). Three (or possibly four) companions in the triple-lined systems show radial-velocity changes during the span of our observations suggesting that these are in fact quadruple systems. Several of the studied systems are prime candidates for combined light and radial-velocity synthesis solutions.Comment: aastex5.0, 5 figures in PS; submitted to Astron.

Variable stars in the field of the old open cluster Melotte 66

We report the results of photometric monitoring of the Melotte 66 field in BVI filters. Ten variables were identified with nine being new discoveries. The sample includes eight eclipsing binaries of which four are W UMa type stars, one star is a candidate blue straggler. All four contact binaries are likely members of the cluster based on their estimated distances. Ten blue stars with U-B<-0.3 were detected inside a 14.8 x 22.8 arcmin^2 field centred on the cluster. Time series photometry for 7 of them showed no evidence for any variability. The brightest object in the sample of blue stars is a promising candidate for a hot subdwarf belonging to the cluster. We show that the anomalously wide main sequence of the cluster, reported in some earlier studies, results from a combination of two effects: variable reddening occuring across the cluster field and the presence of a rich population of binary stars in the cluster itself. The density profile of the cluster field is derived and the total number of member stars with 16<V<21 or 2.8<M_{V}<7.8 is estimated conservatively at about 1100.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, accepted to MNRAS - 29 June 200

A variable star survey of the open cluster M37

A CCD photometric study of the dense galactic open cluster M37 is presented and discussed. The majority of the analysed data are time-series measurements obtained through an R_C filter. The observations were carried out on seven nights between December 1999 and February 2000, and have led to the discovery of 7 new variable stars in the field. Three of them have been unambiguously identified as W UMa-type eclipsing binaries, while two more are monoperiodic pulsating stars, most probably high-amplitude delta Scuti-type variables. The remaining two stars seem to be long-period eclipsing binaries without firm period determination. Johnson B and V frames have been used to construct a new colour-magnitude (CM) diagram of the cluster, and to find the locations of the new variable stars. The pulsating variables are most likely background objects. The CM diagram is fitted with recent isochrones yielding the main parameters of the cluster.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&

The photometric-amplitude and mass-ratio distributions of contact binary stars

The distribution of the light-variation amplitudes, A(a), in addition to determining the number of undiscovered contact binary systems falling below photometric detection thresholds and thus lost to statistics, can serve as a tool in determination of the mass-ratio distribution, Q(q), which is very important for understanding of the evolution of contact binaries. Calculations of the expected A(a) show that it tends to converge to a mass-ratio dependent constant value for a->0. Strong dependence of A(a) on Q(q) can be used to determine the latter distribution, but the technique is limited by the presence of unresolved visual companions and by blending in crowded areas of the sky. The bright-star sample to 7.5 magnitude is too small for an application of the technique while the the Baade's Window sample from the OGLE project may suffer stronger blending; thus the present results are preliminary and illustrative only. Estimates based on the Baade's Window data from the OGLE project, for amplitudes a>0.3 mag. where the statistics appear to be complete allowing determination of Q(q) over 0.12<q<1, suggest a steep increase of Q(q) with q->0. The mass-ratio distribution can be approximated by a power law, either Q(q)~(1-q)^a1 with a1=6+/-2 or Q(q)~q^b1, with b1=-2+/-0.5, with a slight preference for the former form. Both forms must be modified by the theoretically expected cut-off caused by a tidal instability at about q_min 0.07-0.1. An expected maximum in Q(q), is expected to be mapped into a local maximum in A(a) around 0.2-0.25 mag.Comment: AASTeX5, 12 figures, 5 tables, accepted by AJ, Aug.200