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  4. Cepheids with Giant Companions. I. Revealing a Numerous Population of Double-lined Binary Cepheids* (dagger)
 
research article

Cepheids with Giant Companions. I. Revealing a Numerous Population of Double-lined Binary Cepheids* (dagger)

Pilecki, Bogumil
•
Pietrzynski, Grzegorz
•
Anderson, Richard I.  
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April 1, 2021
The Astrophysical Journal

Masses of classical Cepheids of 3-11 M are predicted by theory but those measured clump between 3.6-5 M. As a result, their mass-luminosity relation is poorly constrained, impeding our understanding of basic stellar physics and the Leavitt Law. All Cepheid masses come from the analysis of 11 binary systems, including only five that are double lined and well suited for accurate dynamical mass determination. We present a project to analyze a new, numerous group of Cepheids in double-lined binary (SB2) systems to provide mass determinations in a wide mass interval and study their evolution. We analyze a sample of 41 candidate binary LMC Cepheids spread along the P-L relation, which are likely accompanied by luminous red giants, and present indirect and direct indicators of their binarity. In a spectroscopic study of a subsample of 18 brightest candidates, for 16 we detected lines of two components in the spectra, already quadrupling the number of Cepheids in SB2 systems. Observations of the whole sample may thus lead to quadrupling all the Cepheid mass estimates available now. For the majority of our candidates, erratic intrinsic period changes dominate over the light-travel-time effect due to binarity. However, the latter may explain the periodic phase modulation for four Cepheids. Our project paves the way for future accurate dynamical mass determinations of Cepheids in the LMC, Milky Way, and other galaxies, which will potentially increase the number of known Cepheid masses even 10-fold, hugely improving our knowledge about these important stars.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.3847/1538-4357/abe7e9
Web of Science ID

WOS:000636986300001

Author(s)
Pilecki, Bogumil
Pietrzynski, Grzegorz
Anderson, Richard I.  
Gieren, Wolfgang
Taormina, Monica
Narloch, Weronika
Evans, Nancy R.
Storm, Jesper
Date Issued

2021-04-01

Published in
The Astrophysical Journal
Volume

910

Issue

2

Start page

118

Subjects

Astronomy & Astrophysics

•

Astronomy & Astrophysics

•

cepheid variable stars

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delta cepheid variable stars

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spectroscopic binary stars

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late-type giant stars

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
GR-ANDERSON  
Available on Infoscience
April 10, 2021
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/177196
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