Periodic Variation Studies of the Two Short Period W UMa-type Eclipsing Binaries: LX Lyn and V0853 Aur

In this paper,new light curves(LCs) of contact eclipsing binary(CEB) systems LX Lyn and V0853 Aur are presented and analyzed by using the 2015 version of the Wilson-Devinney(W-D) code.In order to explain their asymmetric LCs,cool starspots on the components were employed.It is suggested that their fill-out degrees are f=12.0%(LX Lyn) and f=26.3%(V0853 Aur).At the same time,we found that LX Lyn is a W-type eclipsing binary(EB) with an orbital inclination of i=84°.88 and a mass ratio of q=2.31.V0853 Aur is also a W-type CEB with a mass ratio of q=2.77 and an orbital inclination of i= 79°.26.Based on all available times of light minimum,their orbital period changes are studied by using the O-C method.The O-C diagram of LX Lyn reveals a cyclic oscillation with a period of about 14.84 yr and an amplitude of 0.0019 days,which can be explained by the light-travel time effect(LTTE) due to the presence of a third body with a minimum mass of0.06M_⊙.For V0853 Aur,it is discovered that the O-C diagram of the system also shows a cyclic oscillation with a period of 9.64 yr and an amplitude of 0.03365 days.The cyclic oscillation of V0853 Aur can be attributed to the LTTE by means of a third body with a mass no less than 3.77M_⊙.The third body may play an important role in the formation and evolution of these systems.

Variable Stars in the 50BiN Open Cluster Survey.Ⅲ.NGC 884

Open clusters are the basic building blocks that serve as a laboratory for the study of young stellar populations in the Milky Way.Variable stars in open clusters provide a unique way to accurately probe the internal structure,temporal and dynamical evolutionary stages of individual stars and the host cluster.The most powerful tool for such studies is time-domain photometric observations.This paper follows the route of our previous work,concentrating on a photometric search for variable stars in NGC 884.The target cluster is the companion of NGC869,forming the well-known double cluster system that is gravitationally bound.From the observation run in 2016 November,a total of 9247 B-band CCD images and 8218Ⅴ-band CCD images were obtained.We detected a total of 15 stars with variability in visual brightness,including five Be stars,three eclipsing binaries,and seven of unknown types.Two new variable stars were discovered in this work.We also compared the variable star content of NGC 884 with its companion NGC 869.

Formation and Destiny of White Dwarf and Be Star Binaries

The binary systems consisting of a Be star and a white dwarf(Be WDs) are very interesting.They can originate from the binaries composed of a Be star and a subdwarf O or B star(Besd OBs),and they can merge into red giants via luminous red nova or can evolve into double WD potentially detected by the LISA mission.Using the method of population synthesis,we investigate the formation and the destiny of Be WDs,and discuss the effects of the metallicity(Z) and the common envelope evolution parameters.We find that Besd OBs are significant progenitors of Be WDs.About 30%(Z = 0.0001)-50%(Z = 0.02) of Be WDs come from Besd OBs.About 60%(Z = 0.0001)-70%(Z = 0.02) of Be WDs turn into red giants via a merger between a WD and a non-degenerated star.About 30%(Z = 0.0001)-40%(Z = 0.02) of Be WDs evolve into double WDs which are potential gravitational waves of the LISA mission at a frequency band between about 3 × 10^(-3)and 3 × 10^(-2)Hz.The common envelope evolution parameter introduces an uncertainty with a factor of about 1.3 on Be WD populations in our simulations.

Fractions of Compact Object Binaries in Star Clusters:Theoretical Predictions

The binary population in field stars and star clusters contributes to the formation of gravitational wave(GW)sources.However,the fraction of compact-object binaries(CBs),which is an important feature parameter of binary populations,is still difficult to measure and very uncertain.This paper predicts the fractions of important CBs and semi-compact object binaries(SCBs) making use of an advanced stellar population synthesis technique.A comparison with the result of N-body simulation is also presented.It is found that most CBs are formed within about 500 Myr after the starburst.The fractions of CBs and SCBs are demonstrated to correlate with stellar metallicity.The higher the metallicity becomes,the smaller the fraction of black hole binaries(BHBs),neutron star binaries(NSBs) and SCBs.This suggests that the GW sources of BHBs and NSBs are more likely to form in metal-poor environments.However,the fraction of black hole-neutron star binaries is shown to be larger for metalrich populations on average.

Spin Evolution of Neutron Stars in OB/X-ray Binaries

We have investigated the relation between the orbital period Porb and the spin period Ps of neutron stars in OB/X-ray binaries. By simulating the time-development of the mass loss rate and radius expansion of a 20M☉ donor star, we have calculated the detailed spin evolution of the neutron star before steady wind accretion occurs (that is, when the break spin period is reached), or when the OB star begins evolving off the main sequence or has filled its Roche lobe. Our results are compatible with the observations of OB/X-ray binaries. We find that in relatively narrow systems with orbital periods less than tens of days, neutron stars with initial magnetic field B0 stronger than about 3×1012 G can reach the break spin period to allow steady wind accretion in the main sequence time, whereas neutron stars with B0 < 3×1012 G and/or in wide systems would still be in one of the pulsar, rapid rotator or propeller phases when the companion evolves off the main sequence or fills its Roche lobe. Our results may help understand the various characteristics of the observed OB/neutron star binaries along with their distributions in the Ps-Porb diagram.

Light curve solutions of six eclipsing binaries at the lower limit of periods for W UMa stars

Photometric observations are presented in V and I bands of six eclipsing binaries at the lower limit of the orbital periods for W UMa stars. Three of them are newly discovered eclipsing systems. The light curve solutions reveal that all shortperiod targets are contact or overcontact binaries and six new binaries are added to the family of short-period systems with estimated parameters. Four binaries have com- ponents that are equal in size and a mass ratio near 1. The phase variability shown by the V-I colors of all targets may be explained by lower temperatures on their back surfaces than those on their side surfaces. Five systems exhibit the O＇Connell effect that can be modeled by cool spots on the side surfaces of their primary components. The light curves of V1067 Her in 2011 and 2012 are fitted by diametrically opposite spots. Applying the criteria for subdivision of W UMa stars to our targets leads to ambiguous results.

Searching For Wide Binary Stars with Non-coeval Components in the Southern Sky

We have completed our observational program to search for wide binary systems with non-coeval components in the southern sky and report our results here.The final set of four systems was spectroscopically investigated in this paper.No binary systems with components of different ages were found among them.Taking into account our previous studies,we estimate the fraction of such binaries(i.e.,binaries formed,presumably,by capture)to be not higher than 0.06%.The study will be continued on the northern sky.

The Variability and Radial Velocity of Planetary Nebula Central Stars

The extremely accurate estimates of stellar variability and radial velocity in the Gaia Data Release 3(Gaia DR3)have enabled us to examine the close binarity and radial velocity(RV)of central stars(CSs)of planetary nebulae(PNe).This study is twofold:(1)searching for new close binary CS candidates to better understand how binarity affects the formation and evolution of PNe;and(2)extending the sample size of known RVs of PNe in order to understand their kinematics and the dynamics of the Milky Way.As a target sample,we used all true,possible,and likely PNe available in the literature.Then,we looked for their matched Gaia DR3 sources that provide measurements of variability and RV.As a result,we detected the first large collection of trustworthy photometric variability of 26 symbiotic stars and 82 CSs.In this CS group,there are 24 sources already classified as true close binary CSs in the literature.Hence,we discovered 58 new close binary CS candidates.This close binary(CB)sample represents more than half of what is currently available in the literature.In addition,we identified the radial velocities for 51 PNe.To our knowledge,24 of these were measured for the first time.The RV measurements predicted by Gaia,based on the Doppler shift of the CS absorption lines,and those derived from nebular emission lines,show satisfactory agreement except for a few extremely high-velocity PNe.

Physical Parameters of W UMa Type Contact Binaries and Their Stability of Mass Transfer

In this study,we determined the physical parameters of W UMa type contact binaries and their stability of mass transfer with different stellar mass ranges over a broad space by applying the basic dynamical evolution equations of the W UMa type contact binaries using accretor and donor masses between 0.079 and 2.79 M_(⊙).In these systems,we have studied the three subclasses of W UMa systems of A-,B-and W-type contact binaries using the initial and final mass ranges and we investigated different stellar and orbital parameters for the subclasses of W UMa systems.We examined the stability of the W UMa type contact binaries using the orbital parameters such as critical mass ratio,Roche lobe radius of the donor star and mass ratio of these systems.Thus,we computed the observed and calculated physical parameters of A-,B-and W-type W UMa systems.Moreover,we determined the combined and color temperatures to classify the three subclasses of the systems.Also,we presented the result of the internal stellar structure and evolution of W UMa type contact binaries by using the polytropic model.

Period Investigation on Two W UMa Binaries HH UMa and V1175 Her

HH UMa and V1175 Her are two W UMa contact binary systems whose periods were reported as undergoing secular increase.In this paper,we improved their period analyses with a more extensive database of eclipse timings,finding that both periods show cyclic variation.The cyclic variation could be attributed to a Light Travel Time Effect induced by a third body.Both circular orbit and eccentric orbit cases were considered.For HH UMa,the cyclic variation with a period of around 20 yr has been detected,which may be caused by a third body with the mass larger than 0.23 M_(⊙).However,no parabolic variation was detected in its O−C curve,implying the balance of the mass transfer between the two components and the angular momentum loss from the binary system.As to V1175 Her,a long-term period increase superposed on a periodic oscillation was detected.The period increase with a rate of about dP/dt=2×10^(-7)day yr^(−1)indicates the mass transfer from the less massive component to its companion.The cyclic variation of about 7.5 yr could be caused by a hierarchical third body with a minimal mass exceeding 0.46M_(⊙)orbiting around the central binary.This mass is larger than that of the less massive component of the binary,which means that the secondary component was not replaced by the third body during early stellar interactions,implying that it keeps original dynamical information.By removing angular momentum from the central binary system,the tertiary component has played a significant role in the formation of contact binaries.

Magnetic Activity and Parameters of 43 Flare Stars in the GWAC Archive

In the archive of the Ground Wide Angle Camera(GWAC),we found 43 white light flares from 43 stars,among which,three are sympathetic or homologous flares,and one of them also has a quasi-periodic pulsation with a period of 13.0±1.5 minutes.Among these 43 flare stars,there are 19 new active stars and 41 stars that have available TESS and/or K2 light curves,from which we found 931 stellar flares.We also obtained rotational or orbital periods of 34 GWAC flare stars,of which 33 are less than 5.4 days,and ephemerides of three eclipsing binaries from these light curves.Combining with low resolution spectra from LAMOST and the Xinglong 2.16 m telescope,we found that L_(Hα)/L_(bol) are in the saturation region in the rotation-activity diagram.From the LAMOST medium-resolution spectrum,we found that Star#3(HAT 178-02667)has double Hαemissions which imply it is a binary,and two components are both active stars.Thirteen stars have flare frequency distributions(FFDs)from TESS and/or K2 light curves.These FFDs show that the flares detected by GWAC can occur at a frequency of 0.5to 9.5 yr^(-1).The impact of flares on habitable planets was also studied based on these FFDs,and flares from some GWAC flare stars may produce enough energetic flares to destroy ozone layers,but none can trigger prebiotic chemistry on their habitable planets.

An Update of the Catalog of Radial Velocity Standard Stars from the APOGEE DR17

We present an updated catalog of 46,753 radial velocity(RV)standard stars selected from the APOGEE DR17.These stars cover the Northern and Southern Hemispheres almost evenly,with 62%being red giants and 38%being main sequence stars.These RV standard stars are stable on a baseline longer than 200 days(with 54%longer than one year and 10%longer than five years)with a median stability better than 215 m s~(-1).The average number of observations of those stars is 5 and each observation is required to have signal-to-noise ratio greater than50 and RV measurement error smaller than 500 m s~(-1).Based on the new APOGEE RV standard star catalog,we have checked the RV zero-points(RVZPs)for current large-scale stellar spectroscopic surveys including RAVE,LAMOST,GALAH and Gaia.By careful analysis,we estimate their mean RVZP to be+0.149 kms~(-1),+4.574 km s~(-1)(for LRS),-0.031 km s~(-1)and+0.014 kms~(-1),respectively,for the four surveys.In the RAVE,LAMOST(for MRS),GALAH and Gaia surveys,RVZP exhibits a systematic trend with stellar parameters(mainly[Fe/H],T_(eff),log g,G_(BP)-G_(RP)and G_(RVS)).The corrections to those small but clear RVZPs are of vital importance for these massive spectroscopic surveys in various studies that require extremely high RV accuracies.

Identifying Symbiotic Stars with Machine Learning

Symbiotic stars are interacting binary systems, making them valuable for studying various astronomical phenomena, such as stellar evolution, mass transfer, and accretion processes. Despite recent progress in the discovery of symbiotic stars, a significant discrepancy between the observed population of symbiotic stars and the number predicted by theoretical models. To bridge this gap, this study utilized machine learning techniques to efficiently identify new symbiotic star candidates. Three algorithms(XGBoost, LightGBM, and Decision Tree)were applied to a data set of 198 confirmed symbiotic stars and the resulting model was then used to analyze data from the LAMOST survey, leading to the identification of 11,709 potential symbiotic star candidates. Out of these potential symbiotic star candidates listed in the catalog, 15 have spectra available in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS) survey. Among these 15 candidates, two candidates, namely V^(*)V603 Ori and V^(*)GN Tau, have been confirmed as symbiotic stars. The remaining 11 candidates have been classified as accreting-only symbiotic star candidates. The other two candidates, one of which has been identified as a galaxy by both SDSS and LAMOST surveys, and the other identified as a quasar by SDSS survey and as a galaxy by LAMOST survey.

Formation of a Rapidly Rotating Classical Be-star in a Massive Close Binary System

This paper investigates the spin-up of a mass-accreting star in a close binary system passing through the first stage of mass exchange in the Hertzsprung gap. Inside an accreting star, angular momentum is carried by meridional circulation and shear turbulence. The circulation carries part of the angular momentum of the accreted layers to the accretor's surface. The greater the rate of arrival of angular momentum in the accretor is, the greater this part. It is assumed that this part of the angular momentum can be removed by the disk further from the accretor. If the angular momentum in the matter entering the accretor is more than half the Keplerian value, then the angular momentum obtained by the accretor during mass exchange stage does not depend on the rate of arrival of angular momentum. The accretor may have the characteristics of a Be-star immediately after the end of mass exchange.

Searching forγ-ray counterparts to very faint X-ray transient neutron star binaries

Very faint X-ray transients （VFXTs） are a group of X-ray binaries with low luminosities, displaying peak X-ray luminosities during their outbursts of only 1034-1036 erg s^-1. Using γ-ray data obtained with the Large Area Telescope （LAT） onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope （Fermi）, we investigate their possible nature of containing rotation-powered pulsars, or more specifically being transitional millisecond pulsars （MSPs）. Among more than 40 known VFXTs, we select 12 neutron star systems. We analyze the LAT data for the fields of 12 VFXTs in the energy range 0.2-300GeV, but do not find any counterparts likely detected by Fermi. We obtain luminosity upper limits for the 12 sources. While the distances to the sources are largely uncertain, the upper limits are comparable to the luminosities of two transitional systems, PSR J1023-0038 and XSS J12270-4859. From our study, we conclude that no evidence is found at γ-rays for the suggestion that some VFXTs could contain rotation-powered MSPs （or be transitional MSP systems）.

The Binarity of Early-type Stars from LAMOST medium-resolution Spectroscopic Survey

Massive binaries play significant roles in many fields.Identifying massive stars,particularly massive binaries,is of great importance.In this paper,by adopting the technique of measuring the equivalent widths of several spectral lines,we identified 9382 early-type stars from the LAMOST medium-resolution survey and divided the sample into four groups,T1(~O-B4),T2(~B5),T3(~B7)and T4(~B8-A).The relative radial velocities RVrelwere calculated using Maximum Likelihood Estimation.The stars with significant changes of RVreland at least larger than 15.57 km s-1 were identified as spectroscopic binaries.We found that the observed spectroscopic binary fractions for the four groups are 24.6%±0.5%,20.8%±0.6%,13.7%±0.3%and 7.4%±0.3%,respectively.Assuming that orbital period(P)and mass ratio(q)have intrinsic distributions as f(P)∝Pπ(1<P<1000 days)and f(q)∝qκ(0.1<q<1),respectively,we conducted a series of Monte-Carlo simulations to correct observational biases for estimating the intrinsic multiplicity properties.The results show that the intrinsic binary fractions for the four groups are 68%±8%,52%±3%,44%±6%and 44%±6%,respectively.The best estimated values forπare-1±0.1,-1.1±0.05,-1.1±0.1 and-0.6±0.05,respectively.Theκcannot be constrained for groups T1 and T2 and is-2.4±0.3 for group T3 and-1.6±0.3 for group T4.We confirmed the relationship of a decreasing trend in binary fractions toward late-type stars.No correlation between the spectral type and orbital period distribution has been found yet,possibly due to the limitation of observational cadence.

The formation of neutron star systems through accretion-induced collapse in white-dwarf binaries

The accretion-induced collapse(AIC)scenario was proposed 40 years ago as an evolutionary end state of oxygen-neon white dwarfs(ONe WDs),linking them to the formation of neutron star(NS)systems.However,there has been no direct detection of any AIC event so far,even though there exists a lot of indirect observational evidence.Meanwhile,the evolutionary pathways resulting in NS formation through AIC are still not thoroughly investigated.In this article,we review recent studies on the two classic progenitor models of AIC events,i.e.,the single-degenerate model(including the ONe WD+MS/RG/He star channels and the CO WD+He star channel)and the double-degenerate model(including the double CO WD channel,the double ONe WD channel and the ONe WD+CO WD channel).Recent progress on these progenitor models is reviewed,including the evolutionary scenarios leading to AIC events,the initial parameter space for producing AIC events and the related objects(e.g.,the pre-AIC systems and the post-AIC systems).For the single-degenerate model,the pre-AIC systems(i.e.,the progenitor systems of AIC events)could potentially be identified as supersoft X-ray sources,symbiotics and cataclysmic variables(such as classical novae,recurrent novae,Ne novae and He novae)in the observations,whereas the post-AIC systems(i.e.,NS systems)could potentially be identified as low-/intermediate-mass X-ray binaries,and the resulting low-/intermediate-mass binary pulsars,most notably millisecond pulsars.For the double-degenerate model,the pre-AIC systems are close double WDs with short orbital periods,whereas the post-AIC systems are single isolated NSs that may correspond to a specific kind of NS with peculiar properties.We also review the predicted rates of AIC events,the mass distribution of NSs produced via AIC and the gravitational wave(GW)signals from double WDs that are potential GW sources in the Galaxy in the context of future spacebased GW detectors,such as LISA,TianQin,Taiji,etc.Recent theoretical and observational constraints on the detection of AIC events are summarized.In order to confirm the existence of the AIC process,and resolve this long-term issue presented by current stellar evolution theories,more numerical simulations and observational identifications are required.

Quark-novae in neutron star - white dwarf binaries: a model for luminous (spin-down powered) sub-Chandrasekhar-mass Type Ia supernovae?

We show that, by appealing to a Quark-Nova （QN） in a tight binary system containing a massive neutron star and a CO white dwarf （WD）, a Type Ia explosion could occur. The QN ejecta collides with the WD, driving a shock that triggers carbon burning under degenerate conditions （the QN-Ia）. The conditions in the compressed low-mass WD （MwD 〈 0.9 M） in our model mimic those of a Chandrasekhar mass WD. The spin-down luminosity from the QN compact remnant （the quark star） pro- vides additional power that makes the QN-Ia light-curve brighter and broader than a standard SN-Ia with similar 56Ni yield. In QNe-Ia, photometry and spectroscopy are not necessarily linked since the kinetic energy of the ejecta has a contribution from spin-down power and nuclear decay. Although QNe-Ia may not obey the Phillips relationship, their brightness and their relatively ＂normal looking＂ light-curves mean they could be included in the cosmological sample. Light-curve fitters would be con- fused by the discrepancy between spectroscopy at peak and photometry and would correct for it by effectively brightening or dimming the QNe-Ia apparent magnitudes, thus over- or under-estimating the true magnitude of these spin-down powered SNe-Ia. Contamination of QNe-Ia in samples of SNe-Ia used for cosmological analyses could systematically bias measurements of cosmological parameters if QNe-Ia are numerous enough at high-redshift. The strong mixing induced by spin-down wind combined with the low 56Ni yields in QNe-Ia means that these would lack a secondary maximum in the/-band despite their luminous nature. We discuss possible QNe-Ia progenitors.

Variable binaries and variables in binaries in the Binary star DataBase

The Binary star DataBase(BDB, http://bdb.inasan.ru) combines data from catalogs of binary and multiple stars of all observational types. There is a number of ways for variable stars to form or to be a part of binary or multiple systems. We describe how such stars are represented in the database.

Flaring activity from quiescent states in neutron-star X-ray binaries

We examine systematically the observed X-ray luminosity jumps(or flares) from quiescent states in millisecond binary pulsars(MSBPs) and high-mass X-ray binary pulsars(HMXBPs). We rely on the published X-ray light curves of seven pulsars: four HMXBPs, two MSBPs and the ultraluminous X-ray pulsar M82 X-2. We discuss the physics of their flaring activities or lack thereof, paying special attention to their emission properties when they are found on the propeller line, inside the Corbet gap or near the light-cylinder barrier. We provide guiding principles for future interpretations of faint X-ray observations, as well as a method of constraining the propeller lines and the dipolar surface magnetic fields of pulsars using a variety of quiescent states. In the process, we clarify some disturbing inaccuracies that have made their way into the published literature.