97 Eclipsing Quadruple Star Candidates Discovered in TESS Full Frame Images

TL;DR

This paper presents a catalog of 97 candidate quadruple star systems identified in TESS data, nearly doubling known systems, and includes significant discoveries like the first sextuply-eclipsing sextuple system and a transiting circumbinary planet.

Contribution

The study introduces a new catalog of quadruple star candidates using machine learning and citizen science, expanding the known sample and enabling future detailed analyses.

Findings

Nearly doubles the number of known quadruple systems

First sextuply-eclipsing sextuple system discovered

First transiting circumbinary planet from TESS data

Abstract

We present a catalog of 97 uniformly-vetted candidates for quadruple star systems. The candidates were identified in TESS Full Frame Image data from Sectors 1 through 42 through a combination of machine learning techniques and visual examination, with major contributions from a dedicated group of citizen scientists. All targets exhibit two sets of eclipses with two different periods, both of which pass photocenter tests confirming that the eclipses are on-target. This catalog outlines the statistical properties of the sample, nearly doubles the number of known multiply-eclipsing quadruple systems, and provides the basis for detailed future studies of individual systems. Several important discoveries have already resulted from this effort, including the first sextuply-eclipsing sextuple stellar system and the first transiting circumbinary planet detected from one sector of TESS data.