KIC 4739791: A New R CMa-type Eclipsing Binary with a Pulsating Component

TL;DR

KIC 4739791 is a newly identified R CMa-type eclipsing binary with a pulsating primary star, exhibiting multiperiodic pulsations and unique characteristics that make it valuable for stellar evolution studies.

Contribution

This paper reports the discovery of KIC 4739791 as a rare R CMa-type binary with a pulsating component, including detailed frequency analysis and characterization of its pulsations.

Findings

Detected 14 pulsation frequencies in the light residuals.

Identified the primary as a δ Sct pulsator with stable high frequencies.

Proposed KIC 4739791 as the lowest mass ratio R CMa binary with pulsations.

Abstract

The {\it Kepler} light curve of KIC 4739791 exhibits partial eclipses, inverse O'Connell effect, and multiperiodic pulsations. Including a starspot on either of the binary components, the light-curve synthesis indicates that KIC 4739791 is in detached or semi-detached configurations with both a short orbital period and a low mass ratio. Multiple frequency analyses were performed in the light residuals after subtracting the binarity effects from the original {\it Kepler} data. We detected 14 frequencies: six in the low-frequency region (0.1$-$2.3 d$^{-1}$) and eight in the high-frequency region (18.2$-$22.0 d$^{-1}$). Among these, six high frequencies with amplitudes of 0.62$-$1.97 mmag were almost constant over time for 200 d. Their pulsation periods and pulsation constants are in the ranges of 0.048$-$0.054 d and 0.025$-$0.031 d, respectively. In contrast, the other frequencies may arise from the alias effects caused by the orbital frequency or combination frequencies. We propose that KIC 4739791 is a short-period R CMa binary with the lowest mass ratio in the known classical Algols and that its primary component is a $\delta$ Sct pulsating star. Only four R CMa stars have been identified, three of which exhibit $\delta$ Sct-type oscillations. These findings make KIC 4739791 an attractive target for studies of stellar interior structure and evolution.