The Tarantula Massive Binary Monitoring. IV. Double-lined photometric binaries

TL;DR

This study analyzes 13 massive binary systems in 30 Doradus using light curves to determine their physical parameters, establish empirical mass-luminosity relations for the LMC, and explore the mass discrepancy issue.

Contribution

It provides the first systematic analysis of photometrically variable SB2 binaries in 30 Doradus, deriving dynamical masses, radii, and empirical relations specific to the LMC.

Findings

Dynamical masses and radii were obtained for 26 binary components.

Empirical mass-luminosity and mass-radius relations for the LMC were established.

Mass discrepancy partly explained by stellar interactions in semi-detached systems.

Abstract

A high fraction of massive stars are found to be binaries but only a few of them are reported as photometrically variable. By studying the populations of SB2 in the 30 Doradus region, we found a subset of them that have photometry from the OGLE project and that display variations in their light curves related to orbital motions. The goal of this study is to determine the dynamical masses and radii of the 26 binary components to investigate the mass-discrepancy problem and to provide an empirical mass-luminosity relation for the LMC. We use the PHOEBE programme to perform a systematic analysis of the OGLE V and I light curves obtained for 13 binary systems in 30 Dor. We adopt Teff, and orbital parameters derived previously to obtain the inclinations of the systems and the parameters of the individual components. Three systems display eclipses in their light curves, while the others only display ellipsoidal variations. We classify two systems as over-contact, five as semi-detached, and four as detached. The two remaining systems have uncertain configurations due to large uncertainties on their inclinations. The fact that systems display ellipsoidal variations has a significant impact on the inclination errors. From the dynamical masses, luminosities, and radii, we provide LMC-based empirical mass-luminosity and mass-radius relations, and we compare them to other relations given for the Galaxy, the LMC, and the SMC. These relations differ for different mass ranges, but do not seem to depend on the metallicity regimes. We also compare the dynamical, spectroscopic, and evolutionary masses of the stars in our sample. While the dynamical and spectroscopic masses agree with each other, the evolutionary masses are systematically higher, at least for stars in semi-detached systems. This suggests that the mass discrepancy can be partly explained by past or ongoing interactions between the stars.