Low-Mass Eclipsing Binaries from Kepler: Reaching the Natural Rotation Rates of M and K Dwarfs

Details Low-Mass Eclipsing Binaries from Kepler: Reaching the Natural Rotation Rates of M and K Dwarfs Low-Mass Eclipsing Binaries from Kepler: Reaching the Natural Rotation Rates of M and K Dwarfs

Jan 2012

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21913206c&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #132.06

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Scientific paper

An outstanding problem in stellar astrophysics is that the radii of low-mass, main-sequence stars in eclipsing binary systems are consistently 10-15% larger than predicted by stellar models. This inflation is hypothesized to be primarily due to enhanced magnetic activity as a result of their binarity, and thus artificially enhanced rotation rates. Thus, such an effect should diminish with increasing period, but only a small number of low-mass eclipsing binary systems are known in general, fewer are well-studied with precise light and radial-velocity curves, and barely any of these are at long periods. In addition to exploring the physics of low-mass stars, research into this area helps to better characterize the radii of extrasolar planets around low-mass stars, whose values are typically dependent on those assumed for the host star.
We have previously presented results from our search for new low-mass eclipsing binary systems via our Kepler Guest Observer programs and a search through the publicly available data. We identified over 100+ low-mass eclipsing binaries suitable for ground-based follow-up, with 30 of them having periods greater than 10 days, and found preliminary evidence for a trend of decreasing stellar radii with increasing orbital period.
In this presentation we present results of our ongoing effort to obtain ground-based multi-color light and radial velocity curves of these systems via the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4-meter, the Apache Point Observatory 3.5-meter, and New Mexico State University 1-meter telescopes. We also present preliminary modeling of these data combined with that from the Kepler mission, and examine what future work is needed to make progress in this area.
The presenter acknowledges funding from a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

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