Exploring a Stream of Highly-Eccentric Binaries with Kepler

TL;DR

This paper analyzes Kepler data to identify and characterize highly eccentric long-period eclipsing binaries, revealing their population distribution, potential migration due to tidal effects, and proposing methods for future detection.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive identification of highly eccentric binaries in Kepler data and discusses their evolutionary implications and detection strategies.

Findings

14 highly eccentric binaries identified

Population near a constant angular momentum track

Potential for discovering hundreds more via eccentricity pulses

Abstract

With 16-month Kepler data, 14 long-period (40 d - 265 d) eclipsing binaries on highly eccentric orbits (minimum e between 0.5 and 0.85) are recognized from their closely separated primary and secondary eclipses (\Delta t_I,II = 3 d - 10 d). These systems confirm the existence of a previously hinted binary population situated near a constant angular momentum track at P(1-e^2)^(3/2) ~ 15 d, close to the tidal circularization period P_circ. They may be presently migrating due to tidal dissipation and form a steady-state stream (~1% of stars) feeding the close-binary population (few percent of stars). If so, future Kepler data releases will reveal a growing number (dozens) of systems at longer periods, following dN/dlgP \propto P^(1/3) with increasing eccentricities reaching e -> 0.98 for P -> 1000d. Radial-velocity follow up of long-period eclipsing binaries with no secondary eclipses could offer a significantly larger sample. Orders of magnitude more (hundreds) may reveal their presence from periodic "eccentricity pulses", such as tidal ellipsoidal variations, near pericenter passages. Several new few-day-long eccentricity-pulse candidates with long period (P = 25 d - 80 d) are reported.