.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Return
BE Lyncis: A Pulsating Star in the Most Eccentric Binary with a Massive Unseen Companion
.png){kind=icon}
PRE
AI
J
Z
H
DOI：10.3847/2041-8213/ae5be3.png)
.png){kind=icon}
Original request for help.png){kind=icon}
Share.png){kind=icon}
Save
Abstract
En 中文
We report the discovery of an exceptionally eccentric binary system, BE Lyncis (BE Lyn), which might host a compact companion with mass greater than or similar to 2.5 M-circle dot. By combining TESS photometry with an extensive set of times of maximum light spanning 39 yr, we identify BE Lyn as a high-amplitude delta Scuti star in a binary with an orbital period of approximate to 15.9 yr and an extraordinary eccentricity of e = 0.998 9 (- 0.0021) (+ 0.0008) (>0.9968 at 95% confidence)-the most extreme eccentricity reliably measured for any binary system. Dynamical constraints limit the orbital inclination to i less than or similar to 10 . degrees 1, implying a companion mass M-2 greater than or similar to 2.5 M-circle dot, which identifies the companion as a compact object. This mass points to it most likely being a black hole; if instead it is a rapidly rotating neutron star, it would be the most massive known. If the black hole interpretation holds, it would be the closest such object to Earth. This system provides a unique laboratory for studying asteroseismology in strong gravitational fields, as well as the formation and evolution of extremely eccentric binaries. Our work demonstrates the use of the light-travel time effect in a pulsating star to reveal a compact companion, offering a novel method for detecting black holes in noninteracting binaries.
Keywords:
SX PHOENICIS STAR
DELTA-SCUTI STARS
CONVECTIVE BOUNDARIES
ERROR-CORRECTION
BLACK-HOLES
AMPLITUDE
MODULES
PHOTOMETRY
CATALOG
VARIABILITY
Journal
IF:
11.7
Papers:
1.2W
Citations:
5.9W
Organization
Cited Papers