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arXiv · 2504.12239

The Discovery of Two Quadruple Star Systems with the Second and Third Shortest Outer Periods

Brian P. Powell·Guillermo Torres·Veselin B. Kostov·Tamás Borkovits·Saul A. Rappaport·Maxwell Moe·David W. Latham·Thomas L. Jacobs·Robert Gagliano·Martti H. K. Kristiansen·Mark Omohundro·Hans M. Schwengeler·Daryll M. LaCourse·Ivan A. Terentev·Allan R. Schmitt
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Abstract

We present the discovery of two quadruple star systems -- TIC 285853156 and TIC 392229331 -- each consisting of two bound eclipsing binary stars. Among the most compact quadruples known, TIC 392229331 and TIC 285853156 have the second and third shortest outer orbital periods (145 days and 152 days, respectively) after BU Canis Minoris (122 days, Pribulla et al. 2023). We demonstrate that both systems are long-term dynamically stable despite substantial outer orbital eccentricities (0.33 for TIC 285853156 and 0.56 for TIC 392229331). We previously reported these systems in Kostov et al. (2022) and Kostov et al. (2024) as 2+2 hierarchical quadruple candidates producing two sets of primary and secondary eclipses in TESS data, as well as prominent eclipse timing variations on both binary components. We combine all available TESS data and new spectroscopic observations into a comprehensive photodynamical model, proving that the component binary stars are gravitationally bound in both systems and finding accurate stellar and orbital parameters for both systems, including very precise determinations of the outer periods. TIC 285853156 and TIC 392229331 represent the latest addition to the small population of well-characterized proven quadruple systems dynamically interacting on detectable timescales.

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Brian P. Powell, Guillermo Torres, Veselin B. Kostov, Tamás Borkovits, Saul A. Rappaport, Maxwell Moe, David W. Latham, Thomas L. Jacobs, Robert Gagliano, Martti H. K. Kristiansen, Mark Omohundro, Hans M. Schwengeler, Daryll M. LaCourse, Ivan A. Terentev, Allan R. Schmitt. 2025-04-16. The Discovery of Two Quadruple Star Systems with the Second and Third Shortest Outer Periods. https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12239

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