HST/COS Detection of the Spectrum of the Subdwarf Companion of KOI-81

TL;DR

This study uses Hubble's UV spectra to identify and analyze the faint, hot companion of KOI-81, revealing its spectral features, orbital parameters, and physical properties, and providing insights into its evolutionary history.

Contribution

First detection and spectral analysis of KOI-81's hot subdwarf companion using UV spectra, with detailed orbital and physical characterization.

Findings

Masses of 2.92 and 0.19 solar masses for the B-star and companion.

Effective temperatures of 12,000 K and 19-27,000 K for the components.

Identification of pulsations and rotation period of the B-star.

Abstract

KOI-81 is a totally eclipsing binary discovered by the Kepler mission that consists of a rapidly rotating B-type star and a small, hot companion. The system was forged through large scale mass transfer that stripped the mass donor of its envelope and spun up the mass gainer star. We present an analysis of UV spectra of KOI-81 that were obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope that reveal for the first time the spectral features of the faint, hot companion. We present a double-lined spectroscopic orbit for the system that yields mass estimates of 2.92 M_sun and 0.19 M_sun for the B-star and hot subdwarf, respectively. We used a Doppler tomography algorithm to reconstruct the UV spectra of the components, and a comparison of the reconstructed and model spectra yields effective temperatures of 12 kK and 19 - 27 kK for the B-star and hot companion, respectively. The B-star is pulsating, and we identified a number of peaks in the Fourier transform of the light curve, including one that may indicate an equatorial rotation period of 11.5~hours. The B-star has an equatorial velocity that is 74% of the critical velocity where centrifugal and gravitational accelerations balance at the equator, and we fit the transit light curve by calculating a rotationally distorted model for the photosphere of the B-star.