8,708 research outputs found
New RR Lyrae variables in binary systems
Despite their importance, very few RR Lyrae (RRL) stars have been known to
reside in binary systems. We report on a search for binary RRL in the OGLE-III
Galactic bulge data. Our approach consists in the search for evidence of the
light-travel time effect in so-called observed minus calculated ()
diagrams. Analysis of 1952 well-observed fundamental-mode RRL in the OGLE-III
data revealed an initial sample of 29 candidates. We used the recently released
OGLE-IV data to extend the baselines up to 17 years, leading to a final sample
of 12 firm binary candidates. We provide diagrams and binary parameters
for this final sample, and also discuss the properties of 8 additional
candidate binaries whose parameters cannot be firmly determined at present. We
also estimate that per cent of the RRL reside in binary systems.Comment: MNRAS Letters, in pres
Exploring the Time Domain With Synoptic Sky Surveys
Synoptic sky surveys are becoming the largest data generators in astronomy,
and they are opening a new research frontier, that touches essentially every
field of astronomy. Opening of the time domain to a systematic exploration will
strengthen our understanding of a number of interesting known phenomena, and
may lead to the discoveries of as yet unknown ones. We describe some lessons
learned over the past decade, and offer some ideas that may guide strategic
considerations in planning and execution of the future synoptic sky surveys.Comment: Invited talk, to appear in proc. IAU SYmp. 285, "New Horizons in Time
Domain Astronomy", eds. E. Griffin et al., Cambridge Univ. Press (2012).
Latex file, 6 pages, style files include
New Cataclysmic Variable 1RXS J073346.0+261933 in Gemini
In course of the search for the optical identifications associated with ROSAT
X-ray sources we have found a highly variable object with the very unusual
long-term behavior, color indices and high X-ray-to-optical flux ratio. We
report the archival photometric light curve from the Catalina Sky Survey,
optical spectroscopy from RTT150 and time-resolved photometry from
Astrotel-Caucasus telescope. The object appears to be the magnetic cataclysmic
variable (polar) with orbital period of P=3.20 hr.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Astronomy Letter
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