Lightcurve Asymmetries in KEPLER & TESS Eclipsing Binaries
Abstract
In this work, we study the O'Connell effect which describes the asymmetry in the out of eclipse maxima in Eclipsing Binary (EB) systems found in the Kepler and TESS fields. We calculate a Lomb-Scargle Periodogram for each object, and fit the resulting phase folded data with a twelve term Fourier fit. For each orbital cycle, the Fourier coefficients are used to quantify the asymmetry in the light curves by calculating the 'Lightcurve Asymmetry' (LCA) and the 'O'Connell Effect Ratio' (OER). We describe the time evolution of these asymmetries in hundreds of EBs. We generate starspot models for these systems using the eclipsing binary modeling software Binary Maker 3 (Bradstreet, 2005) and PHOEBE (Prsa, 2016), to test the hypothesis that the asymmetries are due to the presence of starspots on one or both components of the binary. Additionally, we classify each system as either Algol-type (EA), Beta-Lyrae type (EB), W-UMA type (EW), or as an 'irregular'-type system based on the criteria set by Rucinski (1997). Finally, we report on any correlation between the lightcurve asymmetries and eclipsing binary type.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #234
- Pub Date:
- June 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AAS...23420702K