482 research outputs found
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
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
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
Eclipsing binary stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud : results from the EROS-2, OGLE and VMC surveys
We present a catalogue of 1768 eclipsing binary stars (EBs) detected in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) by the second generation of the EROS survey (hereinafter EROS-2); 493 of them are new discoveries located in outer regions (out of the central bar) of the LMC. These sources were originally included in a list of candidate classical Cepheids (CCs) extracted from the EROS-2 catalogue on the basis of the period (0.89 < 17.82 mag] diagram. After visual inspection of the light curves we reclassified them as eclipsing binaries. They have blue colours (B_EROS - R_EROS < 0.2 mag) hence we classed them as hot eclipsing binaries (HEBs) containing hot massive components: main sequence (MS) stars or blue giants. We present Ks-band light curves for 999 binaries from our sample that have a counterpart in the VISTA near-infrared ESO public survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC). We provide spectral classifications of 13 HEBs with existing spectroscopy. We divided our sample into contact-like binaries and detached/semi-detached systems based on both visual inspection and the parameters of the Fourier decomposition of the light curves and analysed the period-luminosity (PL) relations of the contact-like systems using the R_EROS and Ks magnitudes at maximum light. The contact-like binaries in our sample do not follow PL relations. We analysed the sample of contact binaries from the OGLE III catalogue and confirmed that PL_I and PL_Ks sequences are defined only by eclipsing binaries containing a red giant component.Peer reviewe
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