V907 Sco Switched to the Eclipsing Mode Again

TL;DR

This study uses recent satellite and ground data to analyze the unique triple star system V907 Sco, revealing its orbital parameters, eclipse behavior, and predicting future eclipsing phases to improve understanding of its dynamics.

Contribution

The paper provides new and refined measurements of the masses and orbital parameters of V907 Sco, and explains the eclipse switching mechanism through orbital inclination and precession analysis.

Findings

Inner binary masses: 2.74 and 2.56 solar masses

Third star mass: 1.06 solar masses

Nodal precession period: 63.5 years

Abstract

V907 Scorpii is a unique triple system in which the inner binary component has been reported to have switched on and off eclipses several times in modern history. In spite of its peculiarity, observational data on this system are surprisingly scarce. Here we make use of the recent Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite observations, as well as our own photometric and spectroscopic data, to expand the overall data set and study the V907 Sco system in more detail. Our analysis provides both new and improved values for several of its fundamental parameters: (i) the masses of the stars in the eclipsing binary are 2.74 +/- 0.02 M_0 and 2.56 +/- 0.02 M_0; and (ii) the third component is a solar-type star with mass 1.06 +/-0.11 M_0 (90% C.L.), orbiting the binary on an elongated orbit with an eccentricity of 0.47 +/- 0.02 and a period of 142.01 +/- 0.05 days. The intermittent intervals of time when eclipses of the inner binary are switched on and off are caused by a mutual 26.2 (+/- 2.6) inclination of the inner- and outer-orbit planes, and a favorable inclination of about 71 deg of the total angular momentum of the system. The nodal precession period is Pv = 63.5 +/- 3.3 yr. The inner binary will remain eclipsing for another approx 26 yr, offering an opportunity to significantly improve the parameters of the model. This is especially true during the next decade when the inner-orbit inclination will increase to nearly 90 degrees. Further spectroscopic observations are also desirable, as they can help to improve constraints on the system's orbital architecture and its physical parameters.