A Gamma Doradus Candidate In Eclipsing Binary BD And?

TL;DR

This study analyzes photometric data of the eclipsing binary BD And, revealing a potential gamma Doradus pulsator in the primary star, and suggests the presence of a third body influencing the system's periodic oscillations.

Contribution

First identification of a gamma Doradus candidate within an eclipsing binary system, supported by photometric analysis and light curve modeling.

Findings

BD And is a detached binary with a mass ratio of 0.97.

Detected a possible third component causing a 9.6-year periodic oscillation.

Primary star shows pulsations consistent with gamma Doradus variables.

Abstract

The BVR photometric light curves of the eclipsing binary BD And were obtained in 2008 and 2009. We estimated the mass ratio of the system as 0.97 and the photometric solutions were derived. The results show that BD And is a detached binary system, whose components have a little temperature difference of about 40 K. By analyzing photometric available light minimum times, we also derived an update ephemeris and found for the first time a possible periodic oscillation with an amplitude of 0.011 days and a period of 9.6 years. The results indicate that the periodic oscillation could be caused by a third component physically attached to the eclipsing binary. After removing the light variations due to the eclipses and proximity effects, the light-curve distortions are further explained by the pulsation of the primary component with a dominant period of 1 day. In accordance with the position of the primary component on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and its pulsation period, the primary component of BD And could be an excellent gamma Doradus candidate. It is rarely phenomenon that a component of the eclipsing binary system is a gamma Doradus variable.