Parsons, S. G., Gänsicke, B. T., Marsh, T. R. et al. (6 more authors) (2013) Eclipsing post-common envelope binaries from the Catalina surveys. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 429 (1). pp. 256-268. ISSN 0035-8711
Abstract
We analyse the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey light curves of 835 spectroscopically confirmed white dwarf plus main-sequence binaries from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with g < 19, in search of new eclipsing systems. We identify 29 eclipsing systems, 12 of which were previously unknown. This brings the total number of eclipsing white dwarf plus main-sequence binaries to 49. Our set of new eclipsing systems contains two with periods of 1.9 and 2.3 d, making them the longest period eclipsing white dwarf binaries known. We also identify one system which shows very large ellipsoidal modulation (almost 0.3 mag), implying that the system is both very close to Roche lobe overflow and at high inclination. However, our follow-up photometry failed to firmly detect an eclipse, meaning that either this system contains a cool white dwarf and hence the eclipse is very shallow and undetectable in our red-sensitive photometry or that it is non-eclipsing. Radial velocity measurements for the main-sequence stars in three of our newly identified eclipsing systems imply that their white dwarf masses are lower than those inferred from modelling their SDSS spectra. 13 non-eclipsing post-common envelope binaries were also identified, from either reflection or ellipsoidal modulation effects. The white dwarfs in our newly discovered eclipsing systems span a wide range of parameters, including low-mass (∼0.3 M⊙), very hot (80 000 K) and a DC white dwarf. The spectral types of the main-sequence stars range from M2 to M6. This makes our sample ideal for testing white dwarf and low-mass star mass–radius relationships as well as close binary evolution.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2012 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | binaries: close; binaries: eclipsing; stars: low-mass; stars: white dwarfs. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 27 Mar 2017 15:44 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jul 2017 12:39 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sts332 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press (OUP): Policy P - Oxford Open Option A |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/mnras/sts332 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:108491 |