EPIC 219217635: A Doubly Eclipsing Quadruple System Containing an Evolved Binary

T. Borkovits*, S. Albrecht, S. Rappaport, L. Nelson, A. Vanderburg, B. L. Gary, T G Tan, A B Justesen, M. H. Kristiansen, T. L. Jacobs, D. LaCourse, H Ngo, N. Wallack, G. Ruane, D. Mawet, S. B. Howell, R Tronsgaard

*Corresponding author for this work

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    Abstract

    We have discovered a doubly eclipsing, bound, quadruple star system in the field of K2 Campaign 7. EPIC 219217635 is a stellar image with Kp = 12.7 that contains an eclipsing binary (‘EB’) with PA = 3.59470 d and a second EB with PB = 0.61825 d. We have obtained followup radial-velocity (‘RV’) spectroscopy observations, adaptive optics imaging, as well as ground-based photometric observations. From our analysis of all the observations, we derive good estimates for a number of the system parameters. We conclude that (1) both binaries are bound in a quadruple star system; (2) a linear trend to the RV curve of binary A is found over a 2-year interval, corresponding to an acceleration, Ý=0.0024±0.0007 cm s−2; (3) small irregular variations are seen in the eclipse-timing variations (‘ETVs’) detected over the same interval; (4) the orbital separation of the quadruple system is probably in the range of 8-25 AU; and (5) the orbital planes of the two binaries must be inclined with respect to each other by at least 25°. In addition, we find that binary B is evolved, and the cooler and currently less massive star has transferred much of its envelope to the currently more massive star. We have also demonstrated that the system is sufficiently bright that the eclipses can be followed using small ground-based telescopes, and that this system may be profitably studied over the next decade when the outer orbit of the quadruple is expected to manifest itself in the ETV and/or RV curves.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
    Volume478
    Issue number4
    Pages (from-to)5135–5152
    ISSN0035-8711
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018

    Bibliographical note

    This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2018 The authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

    Keywords

    • Stars: binaries (including multiple): close
    • Stars: binaries: eclipsing
    • Stars: binaries: general

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