Search for contact systems among EB-type binaries

We present the analysis of the data of four EB-type eclipsing binaries, continuing our search for contact or almost contact systems. The Price algorithm has been used in conjunction to the Wilson-Devinney model to try to obtain, where possible, unambiguous solutions for all the systems.     

Search for contact,systems among EB-type binaries

In this third paper of the series, we analyze five more EB-type eclipsing binaries with short periods (<1 day) and suspected to be contact, or near-contact systems.We find that V747 Cen and ZZ Aur are almost contact systems, RY Ind is a semi-detached system, while AX Vir and ST Car are both detached systems.     

Period studies and photometric models for two EB-type binaries EU Hya and AW Vul

New photometry for two Algol-type binaries, EU Hya(P = 0.7782 d) and AW Vul(P =0.8065 d), was carried out using the 60-cm telescope at Xinglong station of National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences. With the updated Wilson-Devinney code, photometric elements were derived from the multi-color light curves. The modeled results indicate that the two systems are near-contact binaries, whose secondary components fill their Roche lobes. The fill-out factors of the primaries are fp= 81.2(±0.2)% for EU Hya and fp= 82.4(±0.3)% for AW Vul. Period analysis implies that there exists a downward parabola with a light-time orbit from the(O- C) curve. This kind of periodic oscillation may be attributed to the light-time orbit effect of a third companion. The long-term period decrease may be caused by mass and angular momentum loss. When the orbital period decreases, the fill-out factor of fpwill increase. Our results indicate that the primaries will also eventually fill their Roche lobes.EU Hya and AW Vul may possibly evolve from semi-detached binaries into contact ones.     

EB-type contact binary do cas with a large temperature difference

NewUBV photoelectric observations of EB-type contact binary DO Cas were made on 4 nights from February 1986 to February 1987. The obtained light curves in combination with the radial-velocity curve of the primary published by Mannino (1958) of DO Cas have been solved simultaneously using the Wilson-Devinney synthesis code. The system is found to be a contact binary with a degree of overcontact of 14%. It may be concluded that DO Cas is an evolved contact binary.     

On evolution of contact eclipsing binaries

It is shown that during contact eclipsing binaries evolution under the influence of stellar wind, magnetic stellar wind and with matter transfer by gas flow, in binary stellar systems there may take place a process of star merger (low mass stars) within 10⁵–10⁷ yr and a fast increase of distance between stars of massive binaries. W UMa-type stars are a finite evolutionary stage of very close and low mass binary pairs. As for contact systems of early spectral types (CE-systems), they are more varied in evolution.     

The round chroms of contact binaries

It is shown that the formation of a roundchrom, i.e. a common chromosphere,in W UMa type contact binaries is inevitable. The geometrical forms of roundchroms for ten contact binaries are obtained. For contact binaries the round-chroms of open type are predicted along with a possibility of outflow of round-chrom's gaseous matter from the outer Lagrangian point L₂. The main parameters of roundchroms, the electron concentration n _e, efficient emission volume V, power of emission in magnesium doublet 2800 MgII etc. are obtained for the ten contact binaries. The decrease of the mean electron concentration in roundchrom n _e with the increase of the intercomponent distance a is discovered: n _e ∼ a ^-1. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Photometric study of five kepler contact binaries

A lot of data in time domain were obtained by the Kepler mission, including many contact binaries. Long-term observation lets us obtain more information about the short time scale variation in their light curves or in their orbital periods. Unfortunately, the exposure time is too long (most of them are 30 minutes). Hence, many variations in light curves are smoothed. To avoid this problem, we analyzed some Kepler contact systems with both long-cadence mode and short-cadence mode data. Using the latest version of the Wilson-Devinney code, we obtained the physical parameters of a batch of contact binaries and find out four targets(KIC 5123176, KIC 5296877, KIC 8496820, KIC 9776718) have low mass ratios (q  <  0.25) and one target (KIC 7950962) has a mass ratio very close to unit.     

Photometric solutions of some contact ASAS binaries

We present the first light curve solution of 6 contact binary systems which are chosen from the ASAS catalog. The photometric elements and the estimated absolute parameters of all systems are obtained with the light curve analyses. We calculated the values of degree of contact for the systems. The location of the targets on the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram and the mass–radius plane is compared to the other well-known contact binaries and the evolutionary status of the systems are also discussed.     

Photometric study of three ultrashort-period contact binaries

We carried out high-precision photometric observations of three eclipsing ultrashort-period contact binaries (USPCBs). Theoretical models were fitted to the light curves by means of the Wilson-Devinney code. The solutions suggest that the three targets have evolved to a contact phase. The photometric results are as follows: (a) 1SWASP?J030749.87?365201.7, \(q=0.439\pm0.003\), \(f=0.0\pm3.6\%\); (b) 1SWASP?J213252.93?441822.6, \(q=0.560\pm0.003\), \(f=14.2\pm1.9\%\); (c) 1SWASP?J200059.78+054408.9, \(q=0.436\pm0.008\), \(f=58.4\pm1.8\%\). The light curves show O’Connell effects, which can be modeled by the assumed cool spots. The cool spots models are strongly supported by the night-to-night variations in the \(I\)-band light curves of 1SWASP?J030749.87?365201.7. For a comparative study, we collected the whole set of 28 well-studied USPCBs with \(P < 0.24\) day. Thus, we found that most of them (17 of 28) are in shallow contact (i.e. fill-out factors \(f<20\%\)). Only four USPCBs have deep fill-out factors (i.e. \(f>50\%\)). Generally, contact binaries with deep fill-out factors are going to merge, but it is believed that USPCBs have just evolved to a contact phase. Hence, the deep USPCB 1SWASP?J200059.78+054408.9 seems to be a contradiction, making it very interesting. Particularly, 1SWASP?J030749.87?365201.7 is a zero contact binary in thermal equilibrium, implying that it should be a turn-off sample as predicted by the thermal relaxation oscillation (TRO) theory.     

Gamma-ray binaries and related systems

After initial claims and a long hiatus, it is now established that several binary stars emit high- (0.1–100 GeV) and very high-energy (>100 GeV) gamma rays. A new class has emerged called “gamma-ray binaries”, since most of their radiated power is emitted beyond 1 MeV. Accreting X-ray binaries, novae and a colliding wind binary (η Car) have also been detected—“related systems” that confirm the ubiquity of particle acceleration in astrophysical sources. Do these systems have anything in common? What drives their high-energy emission? How do the processes involved compare to those in other sources of gamma rays: pulsars, active galactic nuclei, supernova remnants? I review the wealth of observational and theoretical work that have followed these detections, with an emphasis on gamma-ray binaries. I present the current evidence that gamma-ray binaries are driven by rotation-powered pulsars. Binaries are laboratories giving access to different vantage points or physical conditions on a regular timescale as the components revolve on their orbit. I explain the basic ingredients that models of gamma-ray binaries use, the challenges that they currently face, and how they can bring insights into the physics of pulsars. I discuss how gamma-ray emission from microquasars provides a window into the connection between accretion–ejection and acceleration, while η Car and novae raise new questions on the physics of these objects—or on the theory of diffusive shock acceleration. Indeed, explaining the gamma-ray emission from binaries strains our theories of high-energy astrophysical processes, by testing them on scales and in environments that were generally not foreseen, and this is how these detections are most valuable.     

First photometric analyses of five contact ASAS binaries

We present the first light curve solutions of five binary systems selected from All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) Catalog of Variable Stars. The light curves of the systems are analyzed and the light parameters are derived. The estimated absolute parameters of the components and the degree of contact values for all targets are also calculated. We compared our results to other known contact binaries by emphasizing the locations of the components on the mass–radius and the H–R diagram. The evolutionary statuses of the systems are also discussed. Results of our analyses confirm that the systems are contact binaries.     

Large-scale circulations and energy transport in contact binaries

A hydrodynamic model for the energy transport between the components of a contact binary is presented. Energy is transported by a large-scale, steady circulation carrying high entropy matter from the primary to secondary component. The circulation is driven by the baroclinic structure of the common envelope, which is a direct consequence of the non-uniform heating at the inner critical Roche lobes due to unequal emergent energy fluxes of the components. The mass stream flowing around the secondary is bound to the equatorial region by the Coriolis force and its width is determined primarily by the flow velocity. Its bottom is separated from the underlying secondary's convection zone by a radiative transition layer acting as an insulator. For a typically observed degree of contact the heat capacity of the stream matter is much larger than radiative losses during its flow around the secondary. As a result, its effective temperature and entropy decrease very little before it returns to the primary. The existence of the stream changes insignificantly specific entropies of both convective envelopes and sizes of the components. Substantial oversize of the secondaries, required by the Roche geometry, cannot be explained in this way. The situation can, however, be explained by assuming that the primary is a main-sequence star whereas the secondary is in an advanced evolutionary stage with hydrogen depleted in its core. Such a configuration is reached past mass transfer with mass ratio reversal. Good agreement with observations is demonstrated by model calculations applied to actual W UMa-type binaries. In particular, a presence of the equatorial bulge moving with a relative velocity of  10–30 km s^−!  around both components of AW UMa is accounted for.     

Fission candidates among detached close binaries

A comparison between results of model calculations and observed properties of close, but detached low mass binaries with Main Sequence primaries shows statistical trends, which seem to support fission origin for some of these objects: the mass-momentum relation, the relation between mass ratio and separation and the relation between mass ratio and synchronisation speak in favour of close initial separations and small mass ratios of the components.Paper presented at the Lembang-Bamberg IAU Colloquium No. 80 on Double Stars: Physical Properties and Generic Relations, held at Bandung, Indonesia, 3–7 June, 1983.     

Investigations into the thermal non-equilibrium of W UMa-type contact binaries

Traditionally, some physical details(e.g., magnetic braking, energy transfer, angular momentum loss, etc.) have to be taken into consideration during investigations into the evolution of contact binaries. However, the real evolutionary processes which usually contain several of these physical mechanisms are very complicated as a result of strong interaction between components. To avoid dealing with these factors, a linear relationship is applied to the temperatures of components. It is found that the higher the mass ratio(M_2/M_1) of a contact system, the weaker the deviation from thermal equilibrium.On this basis, a variation trend of fill-out factor(f) changing with mass ratio can be inferred, which is consistent with observations. Moreover, if we stick to this point of view, it should be natural that the number of semi-detached binaries in the predicted broken-contact phase of relaxation oscillations is less than the number in the contact phase.     

Correlations among the parameters of the spherical model for eclipsing binaries

Correlation coefficients have been computed to investigate the parameters used to describe the spherical model of an eclipsing binary system. Regions in parameter hyperspace have been identified where strong correlations exist and, by implication, the solution determinacy is low. The results are presented in tabular form for a large number of system configurations.Originally presented at the IAU Colloquium No. 16, held at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadeiphia, Pa, U.S.A., September 8–11, 1971.     

Contribution to the search for binaries among Am stars – V. Orbital elements of eight short-period spectroscopic binaries

We present the results of a radial-velocity study of eight Am stars (HD 341, 55822, 61250, 67317, 93991, 162950, 224890 and 225137) observed at Observatoire de Haute-Provence with the CORAVEL instrument. We find that these systems are single-line spectroscopic binaries whose orbital elements are determined for the first time.     

The binaries and triple systems in an irregular field

The dynamical evolution of theN-body systems (N=6) has been studied by numerical simulations. The double and triple subsystems isolated from other bodies have been revealed. The processes of their formation, evolution, and disruption have been followed. At the initial stage of evolution, a common collapse of the system takes place. After that some fast triple approaches of single bodies are possible. At further stages, some physically connected triple subsystems are formed which are disrupted by the intruders or due to their own dynamical unstability. The dissipation mechanisms formulated by van Albada (1968) and Aarseth (1973) have been confirmed. At the final stage, double or hierarchical triple systems are formed.     

Evolution of close binaries and origin of Algol-type systems

The evolution of close binary systems was followed for ten systems with the initial mass of the primary in the range 1–4M and with different initial mass ratios and initial separations. A brief discussion of the evolution of the contact component is presented for two separate cases: when the primary reaches its Roche lobe during central hydrogen burning (case A) and after the exhaustion of hydrogen in the center (case B).The models obtained are compared with observed semi-detached systems separately for massive (with total mass greater than 5M ) and low mass (with total mass below 4M ) binaries. It is shown that the contact components of the observed massive binaries are probably burning hydrogen in the core. On the contrary, the majority of contact components of the observed low-mass binaries are burning hydrogen in the shell. The observed distribution of such binaries as a function of different luminosity excesses of contact components seems to indicate that their origin is connected with case A rather than with case B.