A comprehensive catalog of close binary stars to be used for the study of the fundamental properties of stars and for the exploration and elucidation of evolutionary processes in those systems, is presented. Spectroscopic binaries, variable stars, suspected variable stars, and interacting binaries are included in the scope of the catalog

Webbink, Ronald F.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

NASA-CR-200307
Interacting Binary Stars
ASP ConJerence Series, Vol. 56, 1994
A. W. Shatter (cd.)
A General Catalogue of Close Binary Systems
NAGW-2996
3
Ronald F. Webbink
Astronomy Department, Univ. of Illinois, 1002 W. Green St., Urbana,
Illinois 61801
1. Introduction
Every astronomer knows that most of our knowledge of the absolute masses,
radii, and luminosities of stars beyond our Sun has been derived from tile study of
binary star systems, and most especially of individual eclipsing spectroscopic bi-
naries. It. is also now conunon knowledge that close binary stars evolve, through
mass transfer, in very different ways from single stars, llowever, theorists often
find their efforts at reconstructing the evolutionary history of individual inter-
acting binaries confounded by the lack of rigorous physical models for crucial
processes (most esi)ecially systemic mass and angular momentum loss) occur-
ring during tile course of that evolution. Practically the only reliable way in
which to assess and quantify these effects is through tile statistic',d analysis of
an empirical sample of systems. A comprehensive catMog of close binary stars is
therefore of value both for the study of the fundamental properties of stars and
for tile exploration and elucidation of evolutionary processes in those systems.
The ongoing effort described ill this brief note began as a project of more
limited scope in 1985, having become with time more comprehensive. It owes a
great deM to a number of predecessors well-known in the binary star community,
including (in their most recent editions) the Eighth Catalogue of the Orbital El-
ements of Spectroscopic Binary Systems (Batten, Fletcher & MacCarthy 1989),
A Finding List for Observers of Interacting Binary Stars (Wood et al. 1980),
A Catalogue of Graded Photometric Studies of Close Binaries (Koch, Plavec,
& Wood 1970), and the Catalogue of Orbital Elements, Masses, and Luminosi-
ties of Close Binary Stars (Svechnikov 1986), as well as numerous other, more
specialized works. It attempts to be broader in scope than these works, in re-
gard both to the number and types of objects included, and to the breadth of
observational data in encompasses, but for the most part lasks their detailed
descriptions of individual systems.
2. Scope
The criteria for the selection of systems for this catalog have been broadly set to
ensure inclusion of those binary systems which could reasonably be considered
"close, _ in the sense that they are capable of interacting within their evolutionary
lifetimes. In the current working copy of the catalog these criteria are loosely
enough defined to encompass a number of systems, and som_ classes of systems,
of doubtful binarity. However, I have stopped short of including as a matter of
course stars only because they show combination spectra (spectrum binaries),
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Catalogueof Close Binaries 441
or evidence radial velodty variations, in the absence of even putative orbital
elements. The following classes of objects axe induded:
Spectroscopic binaries (induding binary radio and X-ray pulsars)
with known or suspected orbital periods;
Variable stars of the following types: eclipsing binaries (types E,EA,
EB,EW), elllpsoidal variables (ELL), RS Caaum Venaticorum stars
(RS), BY Draconis stars (BY), FK Comae stars (FKCOM), clas-
sical novae (N,NA,NB,NC), recurrent novae (NR), dwarf novae
(UG,UGSS,UGSU,UGZ), AM Herculis binaries (AM), nova-like
variables (NL), symbiotic stars (ZAND), reflection variables (R),
Optically-vaxlable compact X-ray sources (X), and unique vari-
ables (*) suspected to be interacting binaries;
Suspected variable stars of the above types; and other
Interacting binaries (e.g. X-ray binaries, symbiotic stars, and nova-
like vaxiables) lacking optically-vaxiable counterparts.
3. Contents
The following is a brief summary of the data included in this catalog. A large
fraction of these entries have been or will be derived ab initio from the observa-
tional data at hand.
Stellar identifications: Variable star designation, Greek letter (prin-
cipally Bayer & Lacaille) designation, Hit,, HD, BD, CoD, and
CPD numbers, as well as various other identifications, induding
provisional variable star designations. Also induded in the work-
ing copy are FK, FK Supplement, SRS, AGK3, SAO, and GC
identifications, to be augmented in the final version by those in
the current generation of FK5-based catalogs;
Equatorial coordinates (a,_): Precise positions are given where
available, for equinox B1950 in the working copy, to be superseded
by J2000 coordinates in the final catalog;
Proper motion (p_,p_);
Galactic coordinates (1,b);
Spectral types: MK types for both components, where available;
Spectroscopic orbital elements (T,P,e,to,V0,K_,K2);
Projected rotational velocities (vl sin i, v2 sin i);
Apparent magnitude and colors (V, B-V, U-B, R-I) at normal
light (maximum for eclipsing binaries, quiescence for cataclysmic
variables and X-ray binaries);
Color excess (EB-v);
Trigonometric parallax (_rt,);
Cluster or association membership;
Visual binary designation, induding relative positions and magni-
tudes of companions, and their colors and spectral types where
known;
Type of variability;
Magnitude._ at primary and secondary minima for eclipsing vari-
ables;
442 Webbink
Eclipse durations (D,d);
Photometric solution (i,rt,r_,ll,%h): where not available from light
curve solutions, values for these parameters derived from visual or-
bits or polarimetry, or from other indirect methods, are provided;
Absolute elements: orbital separation (A), component masses (M1,
M2), radii (RI,R2), effective temperatures (T1,T2), luminosities
(L_,L2);
Distance (R);
Space velocity (U,V,W); and
Miscellaneous data, including evidence that the system is single, not
binary; intrinsic variability of components; visual binary orbits;
third light contributions; apsidai motion; alternative light curve
solutions; pulsar dispersion measures; component photometric or
rotation periods; stellar angular diameters; etc.
Detailed citations are provided for tile sources of the spectroscopic and
photonmtric solutions. A cross-index by stellar identification and an extensive
bibliography is included with tile catalog description.
4. Status
Tile working copy of tills catalog now contains data on more than 9000 objects,
including many in the Magellanic Clouds and M31. The identification of galactic
binaries of the types enumerated above is essentially complete through mid-1990,
but with the data entries for a great many systems still seriously incomplete.
The catalog is currently maintained in a large number of machine-readable files,
but unfortunately not yet in a format suitable for electronic distribution. It is
still a number of years from completion. A printed working copy of the catalog
from mid-April 1993 (in 5 volumes, totaling approximately 3000 pages) has been
deposited at the U.S. Naval Observatory Library.
Acknowledgments. I acknowledge with great pleasure the generous assis-
tance of Brenda Corbin and Greg Shelton at the U.S. Naval Observatory Library,
Judy Bausch at the Yerkes Observatory Library, and l)avid Stern at the Univer-
sity of Illinois Physics/Astronomy Library. This research has been supported in
part by NSF grants AST-8317916 and AST-8616992, NASA grant NAGW-2996,
and a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship.
References
Batten, A.H., Fletcher, J.M., & MacCarthy, D.G. 1989, Pub. Dominion Ap.
Obs., 17, 1
Koch, R.H., Plavec, M., & Wood, F.B. 1970, Pub. Univ. Pennsylvania, Astr.
Ser., 10
Svechnikov, M.A. 1986, Kataloy Orbital'nykh Elementov, Mass i Svetimostej
Tesnykh Dvojnykh Zvezd (Irkutsk: Irkutsk Univ.)
Wood, F.B., Oliver, J.P., Florkowski, D.R., & Koch, R.H. 1980, .Pub. Dept.
Astr. Univ. Florida, 1 = Pub. Univ. Pennsylvania, Astr. Set., 12


A general catalogue of close binary systems

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