99 oscillating red-giant stars in binary systems with NASA TESS and NASA Kepler identified from the SB9-Catalogue

TL;DR

This study identifies 99 previously unknown oscillating red-giant stars in binary systems using NASA space missions, significantly expanding the sample for stellar evolution and binary interaction research.

Contribution

It introduces a new search strategy that extends the orbital period range of known red-giant binaries, tripling the existing sample size.

Findings

Discovered 99 new red-giant binary systems with oscillations.

Extended the orbital period range up to 26,000 days.

Tripled the known sample size of oscillating red giants in binaries.

Abstract

Oscillating red-giant stars in binary systems are an ideal testbed for investigating the structure and evolution of stars in the advanced phases of evolution. With 83 known red giants in binary systems, of which only ~40 have determined global seismic parameters and orbital parameters, the sample is small compared to the numerous known oscillating stars. The detection of red-giant binary systems is typically obtained from the signature of stellar binarity in space photometry. The time base of such data biases the detection towards systems with shorter periods and orbits of insufficient size to allow a red giant to fully extend as it evolves up the red-giant branch. Consequently, the sample shows an excess of H-shell burning giants while containing very few stars in the He-core burning phase. From the ninth catalogue of spectroscopic binary orbits (SB9), we identified candidate systems hosting a red-giant primary component. Searching space photometry from the NASA missions Kepler, K2, and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) as well as the BRITE (BRIght Target Explorer) constellation mission, we find 99 systems, which were previously unknown to host an oscillating giant component. The revised search strategy allowed us to extend the range of orbital periods of systems hosting oscillating giants up to 26000days. Such wide orbits allow a rich population of He-core burning primaries, which are required for a complete view of stellar evolution from binary studies. Tripling the size of the sample of known oscillating red-giant stars in binary systems is an important step towards an ensemble approach for seismology and tidal studies. While for non-eclipsing binaries the inclination is unknown, such a seismically well-characterized sample will be a treasure trove in combination with Gaia astrometric orbits for binary~systems.