Identifying large scale features on the surface of contact binaries with sub-arcsecond techniques

Details Identifying large scale features on the surface of contact binaries with sub-arcsecond techniques Identifying large scale features on the surface of contact binaries with sub-arcsecond techniques

Jan 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001iaus..205..314n&link_type=abstract

Galaxies and their Constituents at the Highest Angular Resolutions, Proceedings of IAU Symposium #205, held 15-18 August 2000 at

Physics

Scientific paper

Despite serious efforts little progress has been achieved in identifying the observable signatures of powerful mass and luminosity transfer between the components of W UMa type binaries. Although observed asymmetries of the light curves are usually explained by the drifting dark spots, there is no convincing proof in terms of their physical parameters, neither the confident periodicity measurements in their drifting. We have found recently multifold evidence in VW Cephei for a hot spot region with a characteristic size ~ 1010 cm, the temperature contrast Δ T/T=1.3-1.4 located on the surface of the more massive star close to the neck connecting the two components. It explains i) displacements of maxima light from the predicted moments of elongations and comparable displacements of the secondary minima epochs, 2) overall pattern of asymmetry in different colours, 3) systematic colour changes with phase. We interpret this feature as a photospheric burn and the preferential site of flares recently discovered in EUV and X rays. It is also in an excellent agreement in phase behaviour of Hα and Mg II resonance doublet. However, the decisive proof is still lacking ! With its trigonometric parallax of 0.041 arcsec VW Cep is a promising target for a milliarcsecond resolution investigation both in optical region and in IR to solve an old case - hot versus dark spots and elucidate the nature of powerful mass and luminosity exchange mechanism.

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