Luminosity function of contact binaries at high galactic latitudes towards the LMC and the SMC

TL;DR

This study analyzes the luminosity function of contact binaries at high galactic latitudes near the LMC and SMC, estimating their occurrence rate relative to main sequence stars, and compares it with local values.

Contribution

It provides the first luminosity function for contact binaries at high galactic latitudes and estimates their frequency relative to main sequence stars in the thick disk.

Findings

Estimated contact binary frequency is about 1/600 relative to main sequence stars.

The frequency estimate aligns with previous local measurements.

Identified 15 contact binaries at significant distances from the Galactic plane.

Abstract

Using the OGLE catalogue of eclipsing binaries, 15 contact binaries were identified towards the SMC and the LMC at vertical distances from the Galactic plane between 300 pc and 10 kpc. Based on the luminosity function calculated for these contact binaries, we estimated a frequency of occurrence relative to Main Sequence stars in the thick disk at roughly 1/600. This estimate suffers from the small number statistics, but is consistent with the value previously found for the solar neighbourhood.