In the era of precision cosmology, it is essential to determine the Hubble constant to an accuracy of three per cent or better. At present, its uncertainty is dominated by the uncertainty in the ...distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which, being our second-closest galaxy, serves as the best anchor point for the cosmic distance scale. Observations of eclipsing binaries offer a unique opportunity to measure stellar parameters and distances precisely and accurately. The eclipsing-binary method was previously applied to the LMC, but the accuracy of the distance results was lessened by the need to model the bright, early-type systems used in those studies. Here we report determinations of the distances to eight long-period, late-type eclipsing systems in the LMC, composed of cool, giant stars. For these systems, we can accurately measure both the linear and the angular sizes of their components and avoid the most important problems related to the hot, early-type systems. The LMC distance that we derive from these systems (49.97 ± 0.19 (statistical) ± 1.11 (systematic) kiloparsecs) is accurate to 2.2 per cent and provides a firm base for a 3-per-cent determination of the Hubble constant, with prospects for improvement to 2 per cent in the future.
The TESS light curve of AI Phoenicis Maxted, P F L; Gaulme, Patrick; Graczyk, D ...
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
10/2020, Volume:
498, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
ABSTRACT
Accurate masses and radii for normal stars derived from observations of detached eclipsing binary stars are of fundamental importance for testing stellar models and may be useful for ...calibrating free parameters in these model if the masses and radii are sufficiently precise and accurate. We aim to measure precise masses and radii for the stars in the bright eclipsing binary AI Phe, and to quantify the level of systematic error in these estimates. We use several different methods to model the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) light curve of AI Phe combined with spectroscopic orbits from multiple sources to estimate precisely the stellar masses and radii together with robust error estimates. We find that the agreement between different methods for the light-curve analysis is very good but some methods underestimate the errors on the model parameters. The semi-amplitudes of the spectroscopic orbits derived from spectra obtained with modern échelle spectrographs are consistent to within 0.1 per cent. The masses of the stars in AI Phe are $M_1 = 1.1938 \pm 0.0008\, \rm M_{\odot }$ and $M_2 = 1.2438 \pm 0.0008\, \rm M_{\odot }$, and the radii are $R_1 = 1.8050 \pm 0.0022\, \rm R_{\odot }$ and $R_2 = 2.9332 \pm 0.0023\, \rm R_{\odot }$. We conclude that it is possible to measure accurate masses and radii for stars in bright eclipsing binary stars to a precision of 0.2 per cent or better using photometry from TESS and spectroscopy obtained with modern échelle spectrographs. We provide recommendations for publishing masses and radii of eclipsing binary stars at this level of precision.
Abstract We present the results from a complex study of an eclipsing O-type binary (Aa+Ab) with the orbital period of P A = 3.2254367 days that forms part of a higher-order multiple system in a ...configuration of (A+B)+C. We derived masses of the Aa+Ab binary of M 1 = 19.02 ± 0.12 and M 2 = 17.50 ± 0.13 M ⊙ , the radii of R 1 = 7.70 ± 0.05 and R 2 = 6.64 ± 0.06 R ⊙ , and temperatures of T 1 = 34,250 ± 500 K and T 2 = 33,750 ± 500 K. From the analysis of the radial velocities, we found a spectroscopic orbit of A in the outer A+B system with P A+B = 195.8 days ( P A+B / P A ≈ 61). In the O − C analysis, we confirmed this orbit and found another component orbiting the A+B system with P AB+C = 2550 days ( P AB+C / P A+B ≈ 13). From the total mass of the inner binary and its outer orbit, we estimated the mass of the third object, M B ≳ 10.7 M ⊙ . From the light travel time effect fit to the O − C data, we obtained the limit for the mass of the fourth component, M C ≳ 7.3 M ⊙ . These extra components contribute about 20%–30% (increasing with wavelength) to the total system light. From the comparison of model spectra with the multiband photometry, we derived a distance modulus of 18.59 ± 0.06 mag, a reddening of 0.16 ± 0.02 mag, and an R V of 3.2. This work is part of our ongoing project, which aims to calibrate the surface brightness–color relation for early-type stars.
Context. The extragalactic distance scale builds on the Cepheid period-luminosity (PL) relation. Decades of work have not yet convincingly established the sensitivity of the PL relation to ...metallicity. This currently prevents a determination of the Hubble constant accurate to 1% from the classical Cepheid-SN Ia method. Aims. In this paper we carry out a strictly differential comparison of the absolute PL relations obeyed by classical Cepheids in the Milky Way (MW), LMC, and SMC galaxies. Taking advantage of the substantial metallicity difference among the Cepheid populations in these three galaxies, we want to establish a possible systematic trend of the PL relation absolute zero point as a function of metallicity, and to determine the size of such an effect in the optical and near-infrared photometric bands. Methods. We used a IRSB Baade-Wesselink-type method to determine individual distances to the Cepheids in our samples in the MW, LMC, and SMC. For our analysis, we used a greatly enhanced sample of Cepheids in the SMC (31 stars) compared to the small sample (5 stars) available in our previous work. We used the distances to determine absolute Cepheid PL relations in the optical and near-infrared bands in each of the three galaxies. Results. Our distance analysis of 31 SMC Cepheids with periods of 4–69 days yields tight PL relations in all studied bands, with slopes consistent with the corresponding LMC and MW relations. Adopting the very accurately determined LMC slopes for the optical and near-infrared bands, we determine the zero point offsets between the corresponding absolute PL relations in the three galaxies. Conclusions. We find that in all bands the metal-poor SMC Cepheids are intrinsically fainter than their more metal-rich counterparts in the LMC and MW. In the K band the metallicity effect is −0.23 ± 0.06 mag dex−1, while in the V, (V − I) Wesenheit index it is slightly stronger, −0.34 ± 0.06 mag dex−1. We find suggestive evidence that the metallicity sensitivity of the PL relation might be nonlinear, being small in the range between solar and LMC Cepheid metallicity, and becoming steeper towards the lower-metallicity regime.
The agricultural sector in Poland is of considerable social and economic importance for the nation. Climate variability and change are of primary relevance to this largely climate-dependent sector. ...Changes in seven temperature-related agroclimatic indices (lengths of the growing season and of the frost-free season, days of occurrence of the last spring frost and of the first autumn frost; and annual sums of growing degree-days for three values of temperature threshold) in Poland in 1951–2010 are examined. As expected, they generally correspond to the overwhelming and ubiquitous warming. Many, but not all, detected trends are statistically significant. However, for some indices, strong natural variability overshadows eventual trends. Projections of temperature-related agroclimatic indices for the future, based on regional climate models, are also discussed.
ABSTRACT
CPD-54 810 is a double-lined detached eclipsing binary containing two mid-F type dwarfs on an eccentric 26-d orbit. We perform a combined analysis of the extensive photometry obtained by the ...TESS space mission along with previously published observations to obtain a full orbital and physical solution for the system. We measure the following model-independent masses and radii: $M_1=1.3094\pm 0.0051\, {M_\odot }$, $M_2=1.0896\pm 0.0034\, {M_\odot }$, $R_1=1.9288\pm 0.0030\, {R_\odot }$, and $R_2=1.1815\pm 0.0037\, {R_\odot }$. We employ a Bayesian approach to obtain the bolometric flux for both stars from observed magnitudes, colours, and flux ratios. These bolometric fluxes combined with the stars’ angular diameters (from R1, R2 and the parallax from Gaia EDR3) lead directly to the stars’ effective temperatures: Teff, 1 = 6462 ± 43 K, and Teff, 2 = 6331 ± 43 K, with an additional systematic error of 0.8 per cent (13 K) from the uncertainty in the zero-point of the flux scale. Our results are robust against the choice of model spectra and other details of the analysis. CPD-54 810 is an ideal benchmark system that can be used to test stellar parameters measured by large spectroscopic surveys or derived from asteroseismology, and calibrate stellar models by providing robust constraints on the measured parameters. The methods presented here can be applied to many other detached eclipsing binary systems to build a catalogue of well–measured benchmark stars.
Stellar pulsation theory provides a means of determining the masses of pulsating classical Cepheid supergiants-it is the pulsation that causes their luminosity to vary. Such pulsational masses are ...found to be smaller than the masses derived from stellar evolution theory: this is the Cepheid mass discrepancy problem, for which a solution is missing. An independent, accurate dynamical mass determination for a classical Cepheid variable star (as opposed to type-II Cepheids, low-mass stars with a very different evolutionary history) in a binary system is needed in order to determine which is correct. The accuracy of previous efforts to establish a dynamical Cepheid mass from Galactic single-lined non-eclipsing binaries was typically about 15-30% (refs 6, 7), which is not good enough to resolve the mass discrepancy problem. In spite of many observational efforts, no firm detection of a classical Cepheid in an eclipsing double-lined binary has hitherto been reported. Here we report the discovery of a classical Cepheid in a well detached, double-lined eclipsing binary in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We determine the mass to a precision of 1% and show that it agrees with its pulsation mass, providing strong evidence that pulsation theory correctly and precisely predicts the masses of classical Cepheids.
Context. The precise determinations of stellar mass at ≲1% provide important constraints on stellar evolution models. Accurate parallax measurements can also serve as independent benchmarks for the ...next Gaia data release. Aims. We measured the masses and distance of binary systems with a precision level better than 1% using a fully geometrical and empirical method. Methods. We obtained the first interferometric observations for the eclipsing systems AI Phe, AL Dor, KW Hya, NN Del, ψ Cen and V4090 Sgr with the VLTI/PIONIER combiner, which we combined with radial velocity measurements to derive their three-dimensional orbit, masses, and distance. Results. We determined very precise stellar masses for all systems, ranging in precision from 0.04% to 3.3%. We combined these measurements with the stellar effective temperature and linear radius to fit stellar isochrones models and determined the age of the systems. We also derived the distance to the systems with a precision level of 0.4%. Conclusions. The comparison of theoretical models with stellar parameters shows that stellar models are still deficient in simultaneously fitting the stellar parameters (Teff, R and M) with this level of precision on individual masses. This stresses the importance of precisely measuring the stellar parameters to better calibrate stellar evolution models. The precision of our model-independent orbital parallaxes varies from 24 μas as to 70 μas and the parallaxes provide a unique opportunity to verify whether the future Gaia measurements have systematic errors.
Context.
Surface brightness-color relations (SBCRs) are widely used for estimating angular diameters and deriving stellar properties. They are critical to derive extragalactic distances of early-type ...and late-type eclipsing binaries or, potentially, for extracting planetary parameters of late-type stars hosting planets. Various SBCRs have been implemented so far, but strong discrepancies in terms of precision and accuracy still exist in the literature.
Aims.
We aim to develop a precise SBCR for early-type B and A stars using selection criteria, based on stellar characteristics, and combined with homogeneous interferometric angular diameter measurements. We also improve SBCRs for late-type stars, in particular in the
Gaia
photometric band.
Methods.
We observed 18 early-type stars with the VEGA interferometric instrument, installed on the CHARA array. We then applied additional criteria on the photometric measurements, together with stellar characteristics diagnostics in order to build the SBCRs.
Results.
We calibrated a SBCR for subgiant and dwarf early-type stars. The RMS of the relation is
σ
F
V
0
= 0.0051 mag, leading to an average precision of 2.3% on the estimation of angular diameters, with 3.1% for
V
−
K
< −0.2 mag and 1.8% for
V
−
K
> −0.2 mag. We found that the conversion between Johnson-
K
and 2MASS-
K
s
photometries is a key issue for early-type stars. Following this result, we have revisited our previous SBCRs for late-type stars by calibrating them with either converted Johnson-
K
or 2MASS-
K
s
photometries. We also improve the calibration of these SBCRs based on the
Gaia
photometry. The expected precision on the angular diameter using our SBCRs for late-type stars ranges from 1.0 to 2.7%.
Conclusions.
By reaching a precision of 2.3% on the estimation of angular diameters for early-type stars, significant progress has been made to determine extragalactic distances, such as M31 and M33 galaxies, using early-type eclipsing binaries.
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