Infrared Variability from Circumbinary Disc Temperature Modulations

TL;DR

This paper investigates how temperature fluctuations in circumbinary discs caused by binary star illumination lead to observable infrared light curve variability, with potential applications in detecting and characterizing such systems.

Contribution

It models the temperature-induced infrared variability of circumbinary discs, highlighting how binary parameters influence light curve shapes and amplitudes.

Findings

Maximum 9% infrared flux variation at 3.77 and 4.68 μm for specific binary parameters

Light curve shapes are sensitive to binary mass ratio, luminosity, and disc radius

Variability is smooth, very red, and often non-sinusoidal

Abstract

The temperature of a circumbinary disc edge should undulate due to variations in illumination as a function of binary orbital phase. We explore circumbinary disc temperature variations as a source of broad-band infrared light curve variability. Approximating the wall of a circumbinary disc edge as a wide optically thick cylinder with surface temperature dependent on its illumination, we find that a binary comprised of 1 M$_\odot$ and 0.5 M$_\odot$ pre-main sequence stars in a $\sim$15.5 day period, would exhibit the largest amplitude variations of $\sim$9% at 3.77 and 4.68 {\mu}m as seen by a distant observer. The amplitude of variations and shape of the light curve is sensitive to the luminosity and mass ratios of the stars in the binary, the radius of the circumbinary disc clearing, the binary separation, and the orbital inclination. The light curve variations are smooth and very red with a non-sinusoidal shape for most of the parameter space explored. Possible morphologies include a single peak with a flat region, two peaks of different heights or a single dip.