arXiv subjects

M. Pawlak

Publications and source records attributed to M. Pawlak.

95 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

The OGLE Collection of Variable Stars. Anomalous Cepheids in the Magellanic Clouds

We present a collection of 250 anomalous Cepheids (ACs) discovered in the OGLE-IV fields toward the Large (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The LMC sample is an extension of the OGLE-III Catalog of ACs published in 2008, while the SMC sample contains the first known bona fide ACs in this galaxy. The total sample is composed of 141 ACs in the LMC and 109 ACs in the SMC. All these stars pulsate in single modes: fundamental (174 objects) or first overtone (76 objects). Additionally, we report the discovery of four ACs located in the foreground of the Magellanic Clouds. These are the first fundamental-mode ACs known in the Galactic field. We demonstrate that the coefficients phi_21 and phi_31 determined by the Fourier light curve decomposition are useful discriminators between classical Cepheids and ACs, at least in the LMC and in the field of the Milky Way. In the SMC, the light curve shapes and mean magnitudes of short-period classical Cepheids make them similar to ACs, which is a source of difficulties in the discrimination of both classes of pulsators. The presence of unidentified ACs in the catalogs of classical Cepheids may be partly responsible for the observed non-linearity of the period-luminosity relation observed for short-period Cepheids in the SMC. We compare spatial distributions of ACs, classical Cepheids and RR Lyr stars. We show that the distribution of ACs resembles that of old stars (RR Lyr variables), although in the LMC there are visible structures typical for young population (classical Cepheids): the bar and spiral arms. This may suggest that ACs are a mixture of relatively young stars and mergers of very old stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Total eclipse of the heart: The AM CVn Gaia14aae / ASSASN-14cn

We report the discovery and characterisation of a deeply eclipsing AM CVn-system, Gaia14aae (= ASSASN-14cn). Gaia14aae was identified independently by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN; Shappee et al. 2014) and by the Gaia Science Alerts project, during two separate outbursts. A third outburst is seen in archival Pan-STARRS-1 (PS1; Schlafly et al. 2012; Tonry et al. 2012; Magnier et al. 2013) and ASAS-SN data. Spectroscopy reveals a hot, hydrogen-deficient spectrum with clear double-peaked emission lines, consistent with an accreting double degenerate classification. We use follow-up photometry to constrain the orbital parameters of the system. We find an orbital period of 49.71 min, which places Gaia14aae at the long period extremum of the outbursting AM CVn period distribution. Gaia14aae is dominated by the light from its accreting white dwarf. Assuming an orbital inclination of 90 degrees for the binary system, the contact phases of the white dwarf lead to lower limits of 0.78 M solar and 0.015 M solar on the masses of the accretor and donor respectively and a lower limit on the mass ratio of 0.019. Gaia14aae is only the third eclipsing AM CVn star known, and the first in which the WD is totally eclipsed. Using a helium WD model, we estimate the accretor's effective temperature to be 12900+-200 K. The three out-burst events occurred within 4 months of each other, while no other outburst activity is seen in the previous 8 years of Catalina Real-time Transient Survey (CRTS; Drake et al. 2009), Pan-STARRS-1 and ASAS-SN data. This suggests that these events might be rebrightenings of the first outburst rather than individual events.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Ultra-Short-Period Binary Systems in the OGLE Fields Toward the Galactic Bulge

We present a sample of 242 ultra-short-period (P < 0.22 d) eclipsing and ellipsoidal binary stars identified in the OGLE fields toward the Galactic bulge. Based on the light curve morphology, we divide the sample into candidates for contact binaries and non-contact binaries. In the latter group we distinguish binary systems consisting of a cool main-sequence star and a B-type subdwarf (HW Vir stars) and candidates for cataclysmic variables, including five eclipsing dwarf novae. One of the detected eclipsing binary systems - OGLE-BLG-ECL-000066 - with the orbital period below 0.1 d, likely consists of M dwarfs in a nearly contact configuration. If confirmed, this would be the shortest-period M-dwarf binary system currently known. We discuss possible evolutionary mechanisms that could lead to the orbital period below 0.1 d in an M-dwarf binary.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Period-Luminosity Relations for Ellipsoidal Binary Stars in the OGLE-III Fields of the Large Magellanic Cloud

We report the discovery of two distinct types of ellipsoidal binary systems occupying, so called, sequence E on the period-luminosity (P-L) diagram. We propose that steeper P-L relation is composed of giant-dwarf binaries, while the other consists of giant-giant binary systems. Analysis is based on a sample of 5334 objects, which we select from the OGLE-III survey data toward the the Large Magellanic Cloud. We show that one of the components of ellipsoidal binaries is typically either a Red Clump or a Red Giant Branch star, which leads to clear separation split of the sequence E at P = 40 d. In its short-period part, we identify two subsequences corresponding to the two types of binary systems (E2 and E3), while in the longer-period part the two groups merge forming a single subsequence E1. We extract a group of 271 ellipsoidal systems with eccentric orbits, from our sample. We present the period-luminosity relation they follow.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Eclipsing Binary Stars in the OGLE-III Fields of the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present a large sample of eclipsing binary stars detected in the Small Magellanic Cloud fields covering about 14 square degrees that have been monitored for eight years during the third phase of the OGLE survey. This is the largest set of such variables containing 6138 objects, of which 777 are contact and 5361 non-contact binaries. The estimated completeness of this sample is around 82%. We analyze the statistical properties of the sample and present selected interesting objects: 32 systems having eccentric orbit with visible apsidal motion, one Transient Eclipsing Binary, ten RS CVn type stars, 22 still unexplained Double-Periodic Variable stars, and 15 candidates for doubly eclipsing quadruple systems. Based on the OGLE-III proper motions, we classified 47 binaries from our sample as foreground Galactic stars. We also list candidates suitable for the SMC distance determination.

astro-ph.SR↗