Masses and radii of four very low mass stars in F+M eclipsing binary systems

TL;DR

This study reports the masses and radii of four very low mass stars in eclipsing binary systems with F-type primaries, using photometric and spectroscopic data, and compares the measurements with theoretical models.

Contribution

First detailed measurements of VLMS radii in F+M binaries using multiple photometry missions and spectroscopic analysis, highlighting discrepancies with theoretical predictions.

Findings

HD 24465B and EPIC 211682657B radii match theory within errors

SAO 106989B and HD 205403B radii are 17-20% larger than predicted

Orbital periods and eccentricities are precisely determined for all systems

Abstract

Eclipsing Binaries (EBs) with one of the companions as very low mass stars (VLMS or M dwarfs) are testbeds to substantiate stellar models and evolutionary theories. Here, we present four EB candidates with F type primaries, namely, SAO 106989, HD 24465, EPIC 211682657 and HD 205403, identified from different photometry missions, SuperWasp, KELT, Kepler 2 (K2) and STEREO. Using the high-resolution spectrograph, PARAS, at the 1.2 m telescope at Mount Abu, Rajasthan, India, we hereby report the detection of four VLMS as companions to the four EBs. We performed spectroscopic analysis and found the companion masses to be $0.256\pm0.005$, $0.233\pm0.002$, $0.599\pm0.017$, and $0.406\pm0.005 M_{\odot}$ for SAO 106989, HD 24465, EPIC 211682657 and HD 205403 respectively. We determined orbital periods of $4.39790\pm0.00001$, $7.19635\pm0.00002$, $3.142023\pm0.000003$ and $2.444949\pm0.000001$~d and eccentricities of $0.248\pm0.005$, $0.208\pm0.002$, $0.0097\pm0.0008$ and $0.002\pm0.002$ for EBs SAO 106989, HD 24465, EPIC 211682657 and HD 205403 respectively. The radius derived by modeling the photometry data are $0.326\pm0.012~R_{\odot}$ for SAO 106989, $0.244\pm0.001 R_{\odot}$ for HD 24465, $0.566\pm0.005 R_{\odot}$ for EPIC 211682657, and $0.444\pm0.014 R_{\odot}$ for HD 205403. The radii of HD 24465B and EPIC 211682657B have been measured by precise KEPLER photometry and are consistent with theory within error bars. However, the radii of SAO 106989B and HD 205403B, measured by KELT and STEREO photometry, are $17-20\%$ higher than those predicted by theory. A brief comparison of the results of the current work is made with the M dwarfs already studied in literature.