Ultra-short Period Binaries from the Catalina Surveys

Drake, A. J.; Djorgovski, S. G.; García-Álvarez, D.; Graham, M. J.; Catelan, M.; Mahabal, A. A.; Donalek, C.; Prieto, J. L.; Torrealba, G.; Abraham, S.; Williams, R.; Larson, S.; Christensen, E.
Referencia bibliográfica

The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 790, Issue 2, article id. 157, 13 pp. (2014).

Fecha de publicación:
8
2014
Número de autores
13
Número de autores del IAC
1
Número de citas
52
Número de citas referidas
48
Descripción
We investigate the properties of 367 ultra-short period binary candidates selected from 31,000 sources recently identified from Catalina Surveys data. Based on light curve morphology, along with WISE, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and GALEX multi-color photometry, we identify two distinct groups of binaries with periods below the 0.22 day contact binary minimum. In contrast to most recent work, we spectroscopically confirm the existence of M dwarf+M dwarf contact binary systems. By measuring the radial velocity variations for five of the shortest-period systems, we find examples of rare cool white dwarf (WD)+M dwarf binaries. Only a few such systems are currently known. Unlike warmer WD systems, their UV flux and optical colors and spectra are dominated by the M-dwarf companion. We contrast our discoveries with previous photometrically selected ultra-short period contact binary candidates and highlight the ongoing need for confirmation using spectra and associated radial velocity measurements. Overall, our analysis increases the number of ultra-short period contact binary candidates by more than an order of magnitude.
Proyectos relacionados
spectrum of mercury lamp
Abundancias Químicas en Estrellas
La espectroscopía de estrellas nos permite determinar las propiedades y composiciones químicas de las mismas. A partir de esta información para estrellas de diferente edad en la Vía Láctea es posible reconstruir la evolución química de la Galaxia, así como el origen de los elementos más pesados que el boro, forjados principalmente en los interiores
Carlos
Allende Prieto