The architecture of the hierarchical triple star KOI 928 from eclipse timing variations seen in Kepler photometry

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3933.2011.01114.x· OSTI ID:1018354

Steffen, J. H. ^[1]; Quinn, S. N. ^[2]; Borucki, W. J. ^[3]; Brugamyer, E. ^[4]; Bryson, S. T. ^[3]; Buchhave, L. A. ^[5]; Cochran, W. D. ^[4]; Endl, M. ^[4]; Fabrycky, D C. ^[6]; Ford, E. B. ^[7]; Holman, M. J. ^[2]; Jenkins, J. ^[8]

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1. Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
2. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (United States)
3. NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA (United States)
4. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). McDonald Observatory
5. Univ. of Copenhagen (Denmark). The Niels Bohr Inst.
6. Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States). Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics
7. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States). Bryant Space Science Center
8. NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA (United States); SETI Inst., Mountain View, CA (United States)

We present a hierarchical triple star system (KIC 9140402) where a low mass eclipsing binary orbits a more massive third star. The orbital period of the binary (4.98829 Days) is determined by the eclipse times seen in photometry from NASA's Kepler spacecraft. The periodically changing tidal field, due to the eccentric orbit of the binary about the tertiary, causes a change in the orbital period of the binary. The resulting eclipse timing variations provide insight into the dynamics and architecture of this system and allow the inference of the total mass of the binary (0.424±0.017M_circle-dot) and the orbital parameters of the binary about the central star.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• Contributing Organization: Kepler
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1018354
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-PUB-11-292-AE; arXiv:1106.4530; oai:inspirehep.net:914479; TRN: US201113%%815
• Journal Information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, Vol. 417, Issue 1; ISSN 1745-3925
• Publisher: Royal Astronomical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
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ASTROPHYSICS