Rediscussion of eclipsing binaries. Paper VIII. The doubly-eclipsing quadruple star system V498 Cygni

TL;DR

This study reveals a complex quadruple star system V498 Cygni with two eclipsing binaries, using TESS data to model their light curves and estimate stellar properties, highlighting the need for radial velocity follow-up for precise characterization.

Contribution

First detection of a doubly-eclipsing quadruple system V498 Cygni with detailed light curve modeling from TESS data.

Findings

Identified two distinct eclipsing binaries with periods of 3.48 and 1.44 days.

Estimated stellar masses: 10 and 11 solar masses for the brighter binary, 6.5 and 3.5 for the fainter.

System properties can be refined with future radial velocity measurements.

Abstract

V498 Cyg is an early-B-type binary known to show eclipses on a period of 3.48 d, and two sets of spectral lines. We present the discovery of a second set of eclipses, on a 1.44-d period, in the light curve of this object from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). We develop a model of the light curve to simultaneously fit the properties of both eclipsing binaries and apply this to the TESS observations. We are able to fit the light curve of the fainter system well, but the light curve fit for the brighter system is unable to reproduce either its asymmetric primary eclipse or its changing light curve shape. The available eclipse timing measurements are extremely scattered so we determine orbital ephemerides based only on the TESS data. We infer the physical properties of all four stars, estimating the masses of the components of the brighter binary to be 10 Msun and 11 Msun, and of the fainter binary to be 6.5 Msun and 3.5 Msun. The properties of the system may be reliably determined in future by obtaining radial velocity measurements of the component stars.