Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2004-03-04
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
8 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in September AJ. Discussion of rotational velocity deferred to Hamilton
Scientific paper
10.1086/422735
We present the results of a high-resolution spectroscopic monitoring program of the eclipsing pre-main-sequence star KH 15D that reveal it to be a single-line spectroscopic binary. We find that the best-fit Keplerian model has a period P = 48.38 days, which is nearly identical to the photometric period. Thus, we find the best explanation for the periodic dimming of KH 15D is that the binary motion carries the currently visible star alternately above and below the edge of an obscuring cloud. The data are consistent with the models involving an inclined circumstellar disk, as recently proposed by Winn et al. (2004) and Chiang & Murray-Clay (2004). We show that the mass ratio expected from models of PMS evolution, together with the mass constraints for the visible star, restrict the orbital eccentricity to 0.68 < e < 0.80 and the mass function to 0.125 < Fm < 0.5 Msun.
Hamilton Catrina M.
Herbst William
Johns-Krull Christopher M.
Johnson John A.
Marcy Geoffrey W.
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