A Deep Catalog of Variable Stars in a 0.66deg^2 Lupus Field

TL;DR

This study conducted a wide-field photometric survey in the Lupus Galactic Plane, discovering 494 new variable stars, including eclipsing binaries, pulsators, and long-period variables, and providing insights into binary star properties and distributions.

Contribution

The paper presents the first comprehensive catalog of variable stars in a Lupus field, including detailed classifications and properties, and compares binary frequency with globular clusters.

Findings

Detected 494 new variable stars of various types.

Provided a complete catalog of W UMa eclipsing binaries to V=18.8.

Found a higher binary frequency than in globular clusters.

Abstract

We have conducted a wide-field photometric survey in a single 52'x52' field towards the Lupus Galactic Plane in an effort to detect transiting Hot Jupiter planets. The planet Lupus-TR-3b was identified from this work. The dataset also led to the detection of 494 field variables, all of which are new discoveries. This paper presents an overview of the project, along with the total catalog of variables, which comprises 190 eclipsing binaries (of contact, semi-contact and detached configurations), 51 miscellaneous pulsators of various types, 237 long period variables (P>=2d), 11 delta Scuti stars, 4 field RR Lyrae (3 disk and 1 halo) and 1 irregular variable. Our survey provides a complete catalog of W UMa eclipsing binaries in the field to V=18.8, which display a Gaussian period distribution of 0.277+/-0.036d. Several binary systems are likely composed of equal mass M-dwarf components and others display evidence of mass transfer. We find 17 candidate blue stragglers and one binary that has the shortest period known, 0.2009d (V=20.9). The frequency of eclipsing binaries (all types) is found to be 1.7+/-0.4x10^{-3} per star, substantially higher (by a factor of 3-10) than previously determined in the haloes of the globular clusters 47 Tuc and omega Cen. This indicates that cluster dynamics aids mass segregation and binary destruction.