BD-22 5866: A Low-mass Quadruple-lined Spectroscopic AND Eclipsing Binary

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery and detailed characterization of an extremely rare low-mass quadruple-lined spectroscopic and eclipsing binary system, providing insights into its hierarchical structure, orbital parameters, and potential formation mechanisms.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed analysis of a low-mass quadruple-lined spectroscopic and eclipsing binary, including orbital dynamics and component properties.

Findings

The system consists of two close binaries with semi-major axes <= 0.06 and <= 0.30 AU.

The eclipsing binary has a period of 2.21 days and nearly equal masses (~0.59 Msun).

The system's configuration challenges current formation models, suggesting early dynamical interactions.

Abstract

We report our discovery of an extremely rare, low mass, quadruple-lined spectroscopic binary BD-22 5866 (=NLTT 53279, integrated spectral type = M0 V), found during an ongoing search for the youngest M dwarfs in the solar neighborhood. From the cross-correlation function, we are able to measure relative flux levels, estimate the spectral types of the components, and set upper limits on the orbital periods and separations. The resulting system is hierarchical composed of K7 + K7 binary and a M1 + M2 binary with semi-major axes of asini_{A}<=0.06 AU and asini_{B}<=0.30 AU. A subsequent search of the SuperWASP photometric database revealed that the K7 + K7 binary is eclipsing with a period of 2.21 days and at an inclination angle of 85 degrees. Within uncertainties of 5%, the masses and radii of both components appear to be equal (0.59 Msun, 0.61 Rsun). These two tightly orbiting stars (a = 0.035 AU) are in synchronous rotation causing the observed excess Ca II, Halpha, X-ray and UV emission. The fact that the system was unresolved with published adaptive optics imaging, limits the projected physical separation of the two binaries at the time of the observation to d_{AB} < 4.1 AU at the photometric distance of 51 pc. The maximum observed radial velocity difference between the A and B binaries limits the orbit to asini_{AB}<=6.1 AU. As this tight configuration is difficult to reproduce with current formation models of multiple systems, we speculate that an early dynamical process reduced the size of the system such as the interaction of the two binaries with a circumquadruple disk. Intensive photometric, spectroscopic and interferometric monitoring as well as a parallax measurement of this rare quadruple system is certainly warranted.