Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21533502g&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215, #335.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.434
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The modeling of multi-epoch, multi-band light curves and radial velocity curves of eclipsing binaries (EBs) allows for the most accurate, direct measurement of the fundamental physical properties of the stars -- masses, radii, temperatures, luminosities. Thus EBs are critical for empirically testing the basic predictions of stellar evolution theory. We present comprehensive analyses of two detached EBs, members of the Orion Nebula Cluster with likely ages around 1 million years. Our light-curve modeling includes the treatment of star spots and of third light. Furthermore, we performed a careful Monte Carlo based assessment of parameter uncertainties. The first system analyzed, 2MASS J05352184-0546085, is to date the only known eclipsing pair in which both components have masses that are below the hydrogen-burning limit, 0.057 and 0.037 Msun, accurate to 6%. In addition to determining accurate physical system parameters, we are able to measure the rotation periods of both brown dwarfs. The more massive brown dwarf rotates about 5 times faster than its companion. We demonstrate that cool spots covering a large fraction of the primary brown dwarf, perhaps produced through magnetic activity driven by its rapid rotation, can resolve the apparent paradox in the system in which the more massive brown dwarf has a lower surface flux than the less massive. The second low-mass EB is Parenago 1802, whose eclipsing components are equal in mass (0.41 Msun) within 2%. We demonstrate the presence of a tertiary companion and establish the system's fundamental physical properties with an accuracy of a few percent. Despite the near-identical masses of the stars, their temperatures and radii differ by 10%, suggesting a non-coeval formation history. These results establish the fundamental properties of the Pre-Main Sequence stars and brown dwarfs, and challenge our understanding of the processes involved in their formation and early evolutionary stages.
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