$\delta$ Circini: A massive hierarchical triple system with an eclipsing binary

TL;DR

$oldsymbol{ ext{delta} ext{Cricini}}$ is a massive hierarchical triple system with an eclipsing binary, whose detailed study using multiple data sources has refined its orbital parameters, evolutionary state, and potential future as a black hole progenitor.

Contribution

This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of $oldsymbol{ ext{delta} ext{Cricini}}$, combining photometry, spectroscopy, and interferometry to precisely determine its orbital and stellar parameters.

Findings

Refined orbital period of 1603.24 days for the outer orbit.

Inner binary predicted to merge in about 1.7 million years.

System's age estimated at approximately 4.4 to 4.7 million years.

Abstract

$\delta$ Circini is known to be a massive multiple system containing a 3.9 d inner eclipsing binary in a slightly elliptical orbit exhibiting slow apsidal motion and a distant tertiary with a probable period of 1644 d. All three components of the system are O- or B-type stars. We carried out a comprehensive study of the system, based on light curves from TESS and other instruments, a new series of echelle spectra, older spectra from the ESO archive, and several VLTI interferometric observations. Due to the large amount of different types of data covering both orbits in the system, we obtained a more precise value of the long orbital period ($1603.24\pm0.19$ d) and fully determined all other orbital parameters. Although both orbits are eccentric, their period ratio is large enough for the system to be dynamically stable. The inner and outer orbits are in the same plane, which means that no Kozai-Lidov mechanism is acting in the system. Assuming solar metallicity in our MESA models, we found ages of $(4.4\pm 0.1)$, $(4.7\pm 0.2)$, and $(3.8\pm1.3)$ Myr for the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary, respectively. Our evolutionary scenario predicts that the inner eclipsing binary will merge within approximately 1.7 Myr and eventually evolve into a black hole. The distance to the system, estimated from the angular size of the outer orbit is $(809.9 \pm 1.8)$ pc, which implies that $\delta$ Cir might be located close to the centre of a stellar population ASCC 79, a subgroup of the young Circinus complex. With a total mass of $(53.04\pm0.29)$ M$_{\odot}$, $\delta$ Cir can contribute a significant fraction of the total mass of the population.