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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

WW Geminorum: An early B-type eclipsing binary evolving into the contact phase

WW Gem is a B-type eclipsing binary with a period of 1.2378 days. The CCD photometry of this binary was performed in 2013 December using the 85 cm telescope at the Xinglong Stations of the National Astronomical Observatories of China. Using the updated W-D program, the photometric model was deduced from the VRI light curves. The results imply that WW Gem is a near-contact eclipsing binary whose primary component almost fills its Roche lobe. The photometric mass ratio is q {sub ph} = 0.48(± 0.05). All collected times of minimum light, including two new ones, were used for the period studies. The orbital period changes of WW Gem could be described by an upward parabola, possibly overlaid by a light-time orbit with a period of P {sub mod} = 7.41(± 0.04) yr and a semi-amplitude of A = 0.0079 days(± 0.0005 days), respectively. This kind of cyclic oscillation may be attributed to the light-travel time effect via the third body. The long-term period increases at a rate of dP/dt = +3.47(±0.04) × 10{sup –8} day yr{sup –1}, which may be explained by the conserved mass transfer from the less massive component to the more massive one. With mass transfer, the massive binary WW Gem may be evolving into a contact binary.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photometric study of the pulsating, eclipsing binary OO DRA

We present a comprehensive photometric study of the pulsating, eclipsing binary OO Dra. Simultaneous B- and V-band photometry of the star was carried out on 14 nights. A revised orbital period and a new ephemeris were derived from the data. The first photometric solution of the binary system and the physical parameters of the component stars are determined. They reveal that OO Dra could be a detached system with a less-massive secondary component nearly filling its Roche lobe. By subtracting the eclipsing light changes from the data, we obtained the intrinsic pulsating light curves of the hotter, massive primary component. A frequency analysis of the residual light yields two confident pulsation modes in both B- and V-band data with the dominant frequency detected at 41.865 c/d. A brief discussion concerning the evolutionary status and the pulsation nature of the binary system is finally given.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

UBVRI analysis of the totally eclipsing extreme mass ratio W UMa binary, GSC 3208 1986

GSC 3208 1986 is an NSVS and TYCHO binary, first observed from 1999 to 2000. It is a W UMa binary with a period of 0.405 days. The present observations were taken in 2012 September and are of high precision, averaging a standard deviation of better than 5 mmag. The amplitude of the light curve is very nearly 0.5 mag yet it undergoes total eclipses. Dominion Astrophysical Observatory spectra give an F3V type (T∼6900 K) for the system, the earliest of the extreme mass ratio W UMa binaries. The linear period determination of 0.4045672 days was calculated with the two sets of epochs available. An early NSVS light curve reveals that the period has been smoothly decreasing over its past 12,000 orbits. The binary may be undergoing sinusoidal oscillations due to the presence of a third body, possibly with a period of 23±3 years. The high inclination of 85° results in a long duration secondary total eclipse, lasting some 49.5 minutes. Findings indicate that GSC 3208 1986 is an immaculate extreme mass ratio, q(m{sub 2}/m{sub 1}) = 0.24, A-type W UMa binary.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

APSIDAL MOTION AND A LIGHT CURVE SOLUTION FOR 13 LMC ECCENTRIC ECLIPSING BINARIES

New CCD observations for 13 eccentric eclipsing binaries from the Large Magellanic Cloud were carried out using the Danish 1.54 m telescope located at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. These systems were observed for their times of minimum and 56 new minima were obtained. These are needed for accurate determination of the apsidal motion. Besides that, in total 436 times of minimum were derived from the photometric databases OGLE and MACHO. The O – C diagrams of minimum timings for these B-type binaries were analyzed and the parameters of the apsidal motion were computed. The light curves of these systems were fitted using the program PHOEBE, giving the light curve parameters. We derived for the first time relatively short periods of the apsidal motion ranging from 21 to 107 years. The system OGLE-LMC-ECL-07902 was also analyzed using the spectra and radial velocities, resulting in masses of 6.8 and 4.4 M{sub ⊙} for the eclipsing components. For one system (OGLE-LMC-ECL-20112), the third-body hypothesis was also used to describe the residuals after subtraction of the apsidal motion, resulting in a period of about 22 years. For several systems an additional third light was also detected, which makes these systems suspect for triplicity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Discovery of a new class of coronal structures in white light eclipse images

White light images of the solar corona, taken during total solar eclipses, capture the complex dynamic relationship between the coronal plasma and the magnetic field. This relationship can be recorded on timescales of seconds to minutes, within a few solar radii above the solar surface. Rays, large-scale loops, and streamers, which are the brightest structures in these images, have shaped current models of the coronal magnetic field and solar wind flow. We show in this work how the application of novel image processing techniques to unique high-resolution white light eclipse images reveals the presence of a new class of structures, reminiscent of smoke rings, faint nested expanding loops, expanding bubbles, and twisted helical structures. These features are interpreted as snapshots of the dynamical evolution of instabilities developing at prominence-corona interfaces and propagating outward with the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

HZ Her: Stellar radius from X-ray eclipse observations, evolutionary state, and a new distance

Observations of HZ Her/Her X-1 by the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) covering high state eclipses of the neutron star are analyzed here. Models of the eclipse are used to measure the radius and atmospheric scale height of HZ Her, the stellar companion to the neutron star. The radius is 2.58-3.01 × 10{sup 11} cm, depending on system inclination and mass ratio (q), with an accuracy of ∼1 part in 1000 for given inclination and q. We fit Kurucz model stellar atmosphere models to archival optical observations. The resulting effective temperature (T {sub eff}) of the unheated face of HZ Her is determined to be in the 2σ range of 7720 K-7865 K, and metallicity (log (Z/Z {sub ☉})) in the range of –0.27 to +.03. The model atmosphere surface flux and new radius yield a new distance to HZ Her/Her X-1, depending on system inclination and q: a best-fit value of 6.1 kpc with upper and lower limits of 5.7 kpc and 7.0 kpc. We calculate stellar evolution models for the range of allowed masses (from orbital parameters) and allowed metallicities (from optical spectrum fits). The stellar models agree with T {sub eff} and the radius of HZ Her for two narrow ranges of mass: 2.15-2.20 M {sub ☉} and 2.35-2.45 M {sub ☉}. This lower mass range implies a low neutron star mass (1.3 M {sub ☉}), whereas the higher mass range implies a high neutron star mass (1.5-1.7 M {sub ☉}).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A CHANDRA OBSERVATION OF THE ECLIPSING WOLF-RAYET BINARY CQ Cep

The short-period (1.64 d) near-contact eclipsing WN6+O9 binary system CQ Cep provides an ideal laboratory for testing the predictions of X-ray colliding wind shock theory at close separation where the winds may not have reached terminal speeds before colliding. We present results of a Chandra X-ray observation of CQ Cep spanning ∼1 day during which a simultaneous Chandra optical light curve was acquired. Our primary objective was to compare the observed X-ray properties with colliding wind shock theory, which predicts that the hottest shock plasma (T ≳ 20 MK) will form on or near the line-of-centers between the stars. The X-ray spectrum is strikingly similar to apparently single WN6 stars such as WR 134 and spectral lines reveal plasma over a broad range of temperatures T ∼ 4-40 MK. A deep optical eclipse was seen as the O star passed in front of the Wolf-Rayet star and we determine an orbital period P {sub orb} = 1.6412400 d. Somewhat surprisingly, no significant X-ray variability was detected. This implies that the hottest X-ray plasma is not confined to the region between the stars, at odds with the colliding wind picture and suggesting that other X-ray production mechanisms may be at work. Hydrodynamic simulations that account for such effects as radiative cooling and orbital motion will be needed to determine if the new Chandra results can be reconciled with the colliding wind picture.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

RADIAL VELOCITY ECLIPSE MAPPING OF EXOPLANETS

Planetary rotation rates and obliquities provide information regarding the history of planet formation, but have not yet been measured for evolved extrasolar planets. Here we investigate the theoretical and observational perspective of the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect during secondary eclipse (RMse) ingress and egress for transiting exoplanets. Near secondary eclipse, when the planet passes behind the parent star, the star sequentially obscures light from the approaching and receding parts of the rotating planetary surface. The temporal block of light emerging from the approaching (blueshifted) or receding (redshifted) parts of the planet causes a temporal distortion in the planet’s spectral line profiles resulting in an anomaly in the planet’s radial velocity curve. We demonstrate that the shape and the ratio of the ingress-to-egress radial velocity amplitudes depends on the planetary rotational rate, axial tilt, and impact factor (i.e., sky-projected planet spin–orbital alignment). In addition, line asymmetries originating from different layers in the atmosphere of the planet could provide information regarding zonal atmospheric winds and constraints on the hot spot shape for giant irradiated exoplanets. The effect is expected to be most-pronounced at near-infrared wavelengths, where the planet-to-star contrasts are large. We create synthetic near-infrared, high-dispersion spectroscopic data and demonstrate how the sky-projected spin axis orientation and equatorial velocity of the planet can be estimated. We conclude that the RMse effect could be a powerful method to measure exoplanet spins.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

HII 2407: AN ECLIPSING BINARY REVEALED BY K2 OBSERVATIONS OF THE PLEIADES

The star HII 2407 is a member of the relatively young Pleiades star cluster and was previously discovered to be a single-lined spectroscopic binary. It is newly identified here within Kepler/K2 photometric time series data as an eclipsing binary system. Mutual fitting of the radial velocity and photometric data leads to an orbital solution and constraints on fundamental stellar parameters. While the primary has arrived on the main sequence, the secondary is still pre-main sequence and we compare our results for the M/M{sub ⊙} and R/R{sub ⊙} values with stellar evolutionary models. We also demonstrate that the system is likely to be tidally synchronized. Follow-up infrared spectroscopy is likely to reveal the lines of the secondary, allowing for dynamically measured masses and elevating the system to benchmark eclipsing binary status.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE ARAUCARIA PROJECT: A STUDY OF THE CLASSICAL CEPHEID IN THE ECLIPSING BINARY SYSTEM OGLE LMC562.05.9009 IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

We present a detailed study of the classical Cepheid in the double-lined, highly eccentric eclipsing binary system OGLE-LMC562.05.9009. The Cepheid is a fundamental mode pulsator with a period of 2.988 days. The orbital period of the system is 1550 days. Using spectroscopic data from three 4–8-m telescopes and photometry spanning 22 years, we were able to derive the dynamical masses and radii of both stars with exquisite accuracy. Both stars in the system are very similar in mass, radius, and color, but the companion is a stable, non-pulsating star. The Cepheid is slightly more massive and bigger (M{sub 1} = 3.70 ± 0.03 M{sub ⊙}, R{sub 1} = 28.6 ± 0.2 R{sub ⊙}) than its companion (M{sub 2} = 3.60 ± 0.03 M{sub ⊙}, R{sub 2} = 26.6 ± 0.2 R{sub ⊙}). Within the observational uncertainties both stars have the same effective temperature of 6030 ± 150 K. Evolutionary tracks place both stars inside the classical Cepheid instability strip, but it is likely that future improved temperature estimates will move the stable giant companion just beyond the red edge of the instability strip. Within current observational and theoretical uncertainties, both stars fit on a 205 Myr isochrone arguing for their common age. From our model, we determine a value of the projection factor of p = 1.37 ± 0.07 for the Cepheid in the OGLE-LMC562.05.9009 system. This is the second Cepheid for which we could measure its p-factor with high precision directly from the analysis of an eclipsing binary system, which represents an important contribution toward a better calibration of Baade-Wesselink methods of distance determination for Cepheids.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

TU-D-201-06: HDR Plan Prechecks Using Eclipse Scripting API

Purpose: Automate brachytherapy treatment plan quality check using Eclipse v13.6 scripting API based on pre-configured rules to minimize human error and maximize efficiency. Methods: The HDR Precheck system is developed based on a rules-driven approach using Eclipse scripting API. This system checks for critical plan parameters like channel length, first source position, source step size and channel mapping. The planned treatment time is verified independently based on analytical methods. For interstitial or SAVI APBI treatment plans, a Patterson-Parker system calculation is performed to verify the planned treatment time. For endobronchial treatments, an analytical formula from TG-59 is used. Acceptable tolerances were defined based on clinical experiences in our department. The system was designed to show PASS/FAIL status levels. Additional information, if necessary, is indicated appropriately in a separate comments field in the user interface. Results: The HDR Precheck system has been developed and tested to verify the treatment plan parameters that are routinely checked by the clinical physicist. The report also serves as a reminder or checklist for the planner to perform any additional critical checks such as applicator digitization or scenarios where the channel mapping was intentionally changed. It is expected to reduce the current manual plan check time from 15 minutes to <1 minute. Conclusion: Automating brachytherapy plan prechecks significantly reduces treatment plan precheck time and reduces human errors. When fully developed, this system will be able to perform TG-43 based second check of the treatment planning system’s dose calculation using random points in the target and critical structures. A histogram will be generated along with tabulated mean and standard deviation values for each structure. A knowledge database will also be developed for Brachyvision plans which will then be used for knowledge-based plan quality checks to further reduce treatment planning errors and increase confidence in the planned treatment.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Time-series spectroscopy of the pulsating eclipsing binary XX Cephei

Oscillating Algol-type eclipsing binaries (oEA) are very interesting objects that have three observational features of eclipse, pulsation, and mass transfer. Direct measurement of their masses and radii from the double-lined radial velocity data and photometric light curves would be the most essential for understanding their evolutionary process and for performing the asteroseismological study. We present the physical properties of the oEA star XX Cep from high-resolution time-series spectroscopic data. The effective temperature of the primary star was determined to be 7946 ± 240 K by comparing the observed spectra and the Kurucz models. We detected the absorption lines of the secondary star, which had never been detected in previous studies, and obtained the radial velocities for both components. With the published BVRI light curves, we determined the absolute parameters for the binary via Wilson–Devinney modeling. The masses and radii are M{sub 1}=2.49±0.06 M{sub ⊙}, M{sub 2}=0.38±0.01 M{sub ⊙}, R{sub 1}=2.27±0.02 R{sub ⊙}, and R{sub 2}=2.43±0.02 R{sub ⊙}, respectively. The primary star is about 45% more massive and 60% larger than the zero-age main sequence stars with the same effective temperature. It is probably because XX Cep has experienced a very different evolutionary process due to mass transfer, contrasting with the normal main sequence stars. The primary star is located inside the theoretical instability strip of δ Sct-type stars on the HR diagram. We demonstrated that XX Cep is an oEA star, consisting of a δ Sct-type pulsating primary component and an evolved secondary companion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

LUT REVEALS AN ALGOL-TYPE ECLIPSING BINARY WITH THREE ADDITIONAL STELLAR COMPANIONS IN A MULTIPLE SYSTEM

A complete light curve of the neglected eclipsing binary Algol V548 Cygni in the UV band was obtained with the Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope in 2014 May. Photometric solutions are obtained using the Wilson–Devinney method. It is found that solutions with and without third light are quite different. The mass ratio without third light is determined to be q = 0.307, while that derived with third light is q = 0.606. It is shown that V548 Cygni is a semi-detached binary where the secondary component is filling the critical Roche lobe. An analysis of all available eclipse times suggests that there are three cyclic variations in the O–C diagram that are interpreted by the light travel-time effect via the presence of three additional stellar companions. This is in agreement with the presence of a large quantity of third light in the system. The masses of these companions are estimated as m sin i′ ∼ 1.09, 0.20, and 0.52 M{sub ⊙}. They are orbiting the central binary with orbital periods of about 5.5, 23.3, and 69.9 years, i.e., in 1:4:12 resonance orbit. Their orbital separations are about 4.5, 13.2, and 26.4 au, respectively. Our photometric solutions suggest that they contribute about 32.4% to the total light of the multiple system. No obvious long-term changes in the orbital period were found, indicating that the contributions of the mass transfer and the mass loss due to magnetic braking to the period variations are comparable. The detection of three possible additional stellar components orbiting a typical Algol in a multiple system make V548 Cygni a very interesting binary to study in the future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE ORBITAL AND PHYSICAL PARAMETERS, AND THE DISTANCE OF THE ECLIPSING BINARY SYSTEM OGLE-LMC-ECL-25658 IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD

We present an analysis of a new detached eclipsing binary, OGLE-LMC-ECL-25658, in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The system consists of two late G-type giant stars on an eccentric orbit with an orbital period of ∼200 days. The system shows total eclipses and the components have similar temperatures, making it ideal for a precise distance determination. Using multi-color photometric and high resolution spectroscopic data, we have performed an analysis of light and radial velocity curves simultaneously using the Wilson–Devinney code. We derived orbital and physical parameters of the binary with a high precision of <1%. The masses and surface metallicities of the components are virtually the same and equal to 2.23±0.02 M{sub ⊙} and [Fe/H] = −0.63±0.10 dex. However, their radii and rates of rotation show a distinct trace of differential stellar evolution. The distance to the system was calculated using an infrared calibration between V-band surface brightness and (V–K) color, leading to a distance modulus of (m−M) = 18.452±0.023 (statistical) ± 0.046 (systematic). Because OGLE-LMC-ECL-25658 is located relatively far from the LMC barycenter, we applied a geometrical correction for its position in the LMC disk using the van der Marel et al. model of the LMC. The resulting barycenter distance to the galaxy is d{sub LMC} = 50.30±0.53 (stat.) kpc, and is in perfect agreement with the earlier result of Pietrzyński et al.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A YOUNG ECLIPSING BINARY AND ITS LUMINOUS NEIGHBORS IN THE EMBEDDED STAR CLUSTER Sh 2-252E

We present a photometric and light curve analysis of an eccentric eclipsing binary in the K2 Campaign 0 field, which resides in Sh 2-252E, a young star cluster embedded in an H ii region. We describe a spectroscopic investigation of the three brightest stars in the crowded aperture to identify which is the binary system. We find that none of these stars are components of the eclipsing binary system, which must be one of the fainter nearby stars. These bright cluster members all have remarkable spectra: Sh 2-252a (EPIC 202062176) is a B0.5 V star with razor sharp absorption lines, Sh 2-252b is a Herbig A0 star with disk-like emission lines, and Sh 2-252c is a pre-main-sequence star with very red color.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

KIC 9246715: The double red giant eclipsing binary with odd oscillations

We combine Kepler photometry with ground-based spectra to present a comprehensive dynamical model of the double red giant eclipsing binary KIC 9246715. While the two stars are very similar in mass (M{sub 1}=2.171{sub −0.008}{sup +0.006} M{sub ⊙}, M{sub 2}=2.149{sub −0.008}{sup +0.006} M{sub ⊙}) and radius (R{sub 1}=8.37{sub −0.07}{sup +0.03} R{sub ⊙}, R{sub 2}=8.30{sub −0.03}{sup +0.04} R{sub ⊙}), an asteroseismic analysis finds one main set of solar-like oscillations with unusually low-amplitude, wide modes. A second set of oscillations from the other star may exist, but this marginal detection is extremely faint. Because the two stars are nearly twins, KIC 9246715 is a difficult target for a precise test of the asteroseismic scaling relations, which yield M = 2.17 ± 0.14 M{sub ⊙} and R = 8.26 ± 0.18 R{sub ⊙}. Both stars are consistent with the inferred asteroseismic properties, but we suspect the main oscillator is Star 2 because it is less active than Star 1. We find evidence for stellar activity and modest tidal forces acting over the 171 day eccentric orbit, which are likely responsible for the essential lack of solar-like oscillations in one star and weak oscillations in the other. Mixed modes indicate the main oscillating star is on the secondary red clump (a core-He-burning star), and stellar evolution modeling supports this with a coeval history for a pair of red clump stars. This system is a useful case study and paves the way for a detailed analysis of more red giants in eclipsing binaries, an important benchmark for asteroseismology.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

ORBITAL CIRCULARIZATION OF HOT AND COOL KEPLER ECLIPSING BINARIES

The rate of tidal circularization is predicted to be faster for relatively cool stars with convective outer layers, compared to hotter stars with radiative outer layers. Observing this effect is challenging because it requires large and well-characterized samples that include both hot and cool stars. Here we seek evidence of the predicted dependence of circularization upon stellar type, using a sample of 945 eclipsing binaries observed by Kepler . This sample complements earlier studies of this effect, which employed smaller samples of better-characterized stars. For each Kepler binary we measure e cos ω based on the relative timing of the primary and secondary eclipses. We examine the distribution of e cos ω as a function of period for binaries composed of hot stars, cool stars, and mixtures of the two types. At the shortest periods, hot–hot binaries are most likely to be eccentric; for periods shorter than four days, significant eccentricities occur frequently for hot–hot binaries, but not for hot–cool or cool–cool binaries. This is in qualitative agreement with theoretical expectations based on the slower dissipation rates of hot stars. However, the interpretation of our results is complicated by the largely unknown ages and evolutionary states of the stars in our sample.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

KOI-1003: a new spotted, eclipsing RS CVn binary in the Kepler field

Using the high-precision photometry from the Kepler space telescope, thousands of stars with stellar and planetary companions have been observed. The characterization of stars with companions is not always straightforward and can be contaminated by systematic and stellar influences on the light curves. Here, through a detailed analysis of starspots and eclipses, we identify KOI-1003 as a new, active RS CVn star—the first identified with data from Kepler. The Kepler light curve of this close binary system exhibits the system’s primary transit, secondary eclipse, and starspot evolution of two persistent active longitudes. The near equality of the system’s orbital and rotation periods indicates the orbit and primary star’s rotation are nearly synchronized (P{sub orb}=8.360613±0.000003 days; P{sub rot}∼8.23 days). By assuming the secondary star is on the main sequence, we suggest the system consists of a 1.45{sub −0.19}{sup +0.11} M{sub ⊙} subgiant primary and a 0.59{sub −0.04}{sup +0.03} M{sub ⊙} main-sequence companion. Our work gives a distance of 4400 ± 600 pc and an age of t=3.0{sub +2.0}{sup −0.5} Gyr, parameters which are discrepant with previous studies that included the star as a member of the open cluster NGC 6791.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗