Variable Stars in the Field of the Open Cluster NGC 2126

TL;DR

This study identifies 21 variable stars in the open cluster NGC 2126, including 16 new discoveries, and determines the cluster's fundamental parameters and membership probabilities using photometric and spectral energy distribution fitting.

Contribution

It reports the discovery of new variable stars in NGC 2126 and provides detailed classifications, periods, and cluster membership analysis using SED fitting.

Findings

16 new variable stars discovered

Cluster parameters determined: age, metallicity, distance, reddening

Five variables likely members of NGC 2126

Abstract

We report the results of a time-series CCD photometric survey of variable stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 2126. In about one square degree field covering the cluster, a total number of 21 variable candidates are detected during this survey, of which 16 are newly found. The periods, classifications and spectral types of 14 newly discovered variables are discussed, which consist of six eclipsing binaries systems, three pulsating variable stars, three long period variables, one RS CVn star, and one W UMa or $\delta$ Scuti star. In addition, there are two variable candidates, the properties of which cannot be determined in this paper. By a method based on fitting spectral energy distributions(SEDs) of stars with theoretical ones, the membership probabilities and the fundamental parameters of this cluster are determined. As a result, five variables are probably members of NGC 2126. The fundamental parameters of the this cluster are determined as: the metallicity to be 0.008 $Z_\odot$, the age $\log(t)$= 8.95, the distance modulus $(m-M)_{0}$= 10.34 and the reddening value $E(B-V)$=0.55 mag.