BSN: The First Multiband Light Curve Analysis of the W UMa-type Contact Binary System EM Tucanae

TL;DR

This study provides the first multiband light curve analysis of the contact binary EM Tuc, revealing its orbital period increase, mass transfer dynamics, and detailed stellar parameters through photometric and orbital analysis.

Contribution

It introduces the first multiband light curve analysis of EM Tuc and combines it with orbital period analysis to determine system parameters and mass transfer behavior.

Findings

Orbital period is increasing at a rate of 1.401e-7 d/yr.

Mass transfer occurs from the less massive to the more massive star.

System is confirmed as an overcontact binary with a mass ratio of 3.987.

Abstract

We present a comprehensive photometric light curve and orbital period analysis of the W UMa-type contact binary EM Tuc. The O-C analysis constructed from all available eclipse timings exhibits a clear upward parabolic trend, indicating a continuous increase in the orbital period at a rate of \(dP/dt = (1.401 \pm 0.042)\times10^{-7}\,\mathrm{d\,yr^{-1}}\). This behavior is consistent with mass transfer from the less massive to the more massive star in the system, and the corresponding mass-transfer rate is estimated to be \(\dot{M} = -(4.62 \pm 1.54)\times10^{-8}\,M_\odot\,\mathrm{yr^{-1}}\). Light curve modeling with the PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs (PHOEBE) Python code, refined through MCMC sampling, confirms an overcontact configuration and yields a mass ratio of q=3.987. A cool photospheric starspot on the cooler component is required to reproduce the observed O'Connell asymmetry. Using Gaia DR3 parallax together with the photometric solution, the absolute masses of the components are derived as \(M_h = 0.24 \pm 0.05\,M_\odot\) and \(M_c = 0.97 \pm 0.19\,M_\odot\).