A Search for Eclipsing Binaries in Galactic Globular Clusters

Abstract

We report on the discovery and analysis of short-period (0.1 days $< P <$ 5 days), photometrically varying binary stars around and below the main-sequence turnoff of the globular clusters (GCs) NGC 3201, M10, & M12. These eclipsing binaries (EBs) may be used to determine directly the distances to GCs and constrain the Population II stellar main-sequence masses. During our search for binaries, we discovered the signature of differential reddening across the cluster fields which was especially strong for NGC 3201 and M10. We correct for this differential reddening by calculating average $E_{V-I}$ values for stars in small subregions of the field with respect to a fiducial region, which significantly improves the appearance of the GC color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). The reddening zero point to be added to the differential value is determined by isochrone fitting. The results of our differential dereddening are presented in the form of high-resolution extinction maps. Our search for EBs returned 14 variable stars (11 EBs) in the field of NGC 3201, 3 variables (1 EB) in M10, and 2 EBs in M12. Of these variables, only one EB in NGC 3201 (a blue straggler W Ursa Majoris contact system) is a definite GC-member, based on spectroscopic observations. Another W UMa contact EB in M12 is most likely a member of M12, based on its location in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) and its empirically calculated absolute magnitude. We present the phased lightcurves for all variables, estimate their distances and GC membership, and show their locations in the GC fields and CMDs, as well as the spectra of the NGC 3201 EBs. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results and outline future work.