Eclipsing the Need for Spectroscopy: Constraining Eclipsing Binary Parameters Using Only Kepler Photometry
Abstract
Eclipsing binary (EB) stars provide accurate measurements of stellar mass and radius and therefore play a critical role in constraining stellar evolution models. Despite their utility in understanding the distribution of stellar properties, previous studies have been limited by the observational challenges inherent to identifying and characterizing EBs, namely, the need for both high-cadence, continuous photometric monitoring and follow-up spectroscopy for radial velocity (RV) measurements. Fortunately, the time-resolved data from the Kepler mission offer a new opportunity to assemble large samples of EBs, as well as place preliminary constraints on their masses and radii without the need for additional observations. While current EB models (e.g., JKTEBOP) and Kepler photometric data alone can be used to produce estimates of stellar parameters, we investigate the accuracy of this method by solving for orbital solutions with and without additional ground-based data (multi-color photometry and RVs). Here we present three Kepler EBs that have ground-based data from a new monitoring program recently initiated at Apache Point Observatory and Manastash Ridge Observatory (see corresponding poster by T. Wilkinson et al.), and use these systems to investigate any discrepancies between the two approaches. Considering the observational costs to targeting all Kepler EBs (> 2500) for ground-based follow-up, using select EBs such as these as test cases may allow for the development of a reliable method to determine stellar radii and temperatures exclusively from photometric data and thereby provide a useful tool for streamlining future EB analyses.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #225
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- Bibcode:
- 2015AAS...22513829W