Binary star detectability in $Kepler$ data from phase modulation of different types of oscillations

TL;DR

This paper explores a novel method for detecting binary stars using phase modulation of stellar oscillations in Kepler data, extending its applicability beyond eclipsing binaries to various pulsating star types.

Contribution

It demonstrates the effectiveness of phase modulation detection in different pulsating stars and identifies factors limiting its broader application.

Findings

Correlation between signal-to-noise ratio and detectability

Method's success in simulated and real Kepler data

Factors hindering detection in various pulsating stars

Abstract

Detecting binary stars in photometric time series is traditionally done by measuring eclipses. This requires the orbital plane to be aligned with the observer. A new method without that requirement uses stellar oscillations to measure delays in the light arrival time and has been successfully applied to $\delta$ Scuti stars. However, application to other types of stars has not been explored. To investigate this we simulated light curves with a range of input parameters. We find a correlation between the signal-to-noise of the pulsation modes and the time delay required to detect binary motion. The detectability of the binarity in the simulations and in real $Kepler$ data shows strong agreement, hence, we describe the factors that have prevented this method from discovering binary companions to stars belonging to various classes of pulsating stars.