The PHASES Differential Astrometry Data Archive IV: The Triple Star Systems 63 Gem A and HR 2896

TL;DR

This paper uses high-precision astrometry to analyze the orbital configurations of two triple star systems, revealing a previously unknown orbit in HR 2896 and constraining the orbit of 63 Gem A despite observational challenges.

Contribution

It provides detailed orbital parameters for two triple star systems using PHASES data, including the first detection of a 2-year wobble in HR 2896 and constraints on the orbit of 63 Gem A.

Findings

Detected a 2-year Keplerian wobble in HR 2896.

Constrained the orbit orientation of 63 Gem A.

Determined possible mutual inclinations indicating non-coplanarity.

Abstract

(Abridged) Differential astrometry measurements from the Palomar High-precision Astrometric Search for Exoplanet Systems (PHASES) are used to constrain the astrometric orbit of the previously known lesssim 2 day subsystem in the triple system 63 Gem A and have detected a previously unknown 2 year Keplerian wobble superimposed on the visual orbit of the much longer period (213 years) binary system HR 2896. The very small astrometric perturbation caused by the inner pair in 63 Gem A stretches the limits of current astrometric capabilities, but PHASES observations are able to constrain the orientation of the orbit. The two bright stars comprising the HR 2896 long period (213 year) system have a combined spectral type of K0III and the newly detected object's mass estimate places it in the regime of being a M dwarf. The motion of the stars are slow enough that their spectral features are always blended, preventing Doppler studies. The PHASES measurements and radial velocities (when available) have been combined with lower precision single-aperture measurements covering a much longer timeframe to improve the characterization of the long period orbits in both binaries. The visual orbits of the short and long period systems are presented for both systems, and used to calculate two possible values of the mutual inclinations between inner and outer orbits of 152 pm 12 degrees or a less likely value of 31 pm 11 degrees for 63 Gem A and 10.2 pm 2.4 degrees or 171.2 pm 2.8 degrees for HR 2896. The first is not coplanar, whereas the second is either nearly coplanar or anti-coplanar.