We describe a homogeneous catalog compilation of common proper motion stars based on Gaia DR2. A preliminary list of all pairs of stars within the radius of 100 pc around the Sun with a separation less than a parsec was compiled. Also, a subset of comoving pairs, wide binary stars, was selected. The clusters and systems with multiplicity larger than 2 were excluded from consideration. The resulting catalog contains 10358 pairs of stars. The catalog selectivity function was estimated by comparison with a set of randomly selected field stars and with a model sample obtained by population synthesis. The estimates of the star masses in the catalogued objects, both components of which belong to the main-sequence, show an excess of "twins", composed by stars with similar masses. This excess decreases with increasing separation between components. It is shown that such an effect cannot be a consequence of the selectivity function only and does not appear in the model where star formation of similar masses is not artificially preferred. The article is based on the talk presented at the conference "Astrometry yesterday, today, tomorrow" (Sternberg Astronomical Institute of the Moscow State University, October 14-16, 2019).
Close binary interactions perform a key role in the formation and shaping of planetary nebulae. However only a small fraction of Galactic planetary nebulae are known to host close binary systems. Many such systems are detectable through photometric variability. We searched recently published epoch photometry data from Gaia DR3 for planetary nebula central stars with periodic photometric variability indicative of binarity, uncovering four previously unknown close binaries.
Context: Many if not most planetary nebulae (PNe) are now thought to be the outcome of binary evolutionary scenarios. However only a few percent of PNe in the Milky Way are known to host binary systems. The high precision repeated observing and long time baseline of Gaia make it well suited to detect new close binaries through photometric variability. Aims: We aim to find new close binary central stars of PNe (CSPNe) using data from the Gaia mission, building towards a statistically significant sample of post common envelope, close binary CSPNe. Methods: As the vast majority of Gaia sources do…
Precise measurement of the fundamental parameters of stellar systems, including mass and radius, depends critically on how well the stellar distances are known. Astrometry from space provides parallax measurements of unprecented accuracy, from which distances can be derived, initially from the Hipparcos mission, with further refinement of that analysis provided by van Leeuwen in 2007. The publication of the Gaia DR2 catalogue promises a dramatic improvement in the available data. We have recalculated the dynamical masses of a sample of 1 700 close visual binary stars using Gaia DR2 and compare…
Hide and Seek with Gaia. Detectability of Predicted Thin-Disc Metal-Rich RR Lyrae Binaries in Gaia DR3 and DR4
Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona（巴塞罗那大学宇宙科学研究所）；Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院天文学系）；School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University（莫纳什大学物理与天文学院）；ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery – OzGrav（ARC引力波发现卓越中心-OzGrav）；INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri（意大利国家天体物理研究所阿切特里天文台）；Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学天文学研究所）；Department of Physics, University of Rome Tor Vergata（罗马托维加塔大学物理系）；INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma（意大利国家天体物理研究所罗马天文台）；Departamento de Astronomía, Instituto de Física, Universidad de la República（乌拉圭共和国大学天文学系、物理研究所）
We examine the capacity to identify binary systems from astrometric deviations alone. We apply our analysis to the Gaia eDR3 and DR2 data, specifically the Gaia Catalogue of Nearby Stars. We show we must renormalize (R)UWE over the local volume to avoid biasing local observations, giving a Local Unit Weight Error (LUWE). We use the simple criterion of LUWE>2, along with a handful of quality cuts to remove likely contaminants, to identify unresolved binary candidates. We identify 22,699 binary candidates within 100 pc of the Sun (just under 10% of sources in this volume). We find an astrometric…
We investigate whether Gaia can specify the binary fractions of massive stellar populations in the Galactic disk through astrometric microlensing. Furthermore, we study if some information about their mass distributions can be inferred via this method. In this regard, we simulate the binary astrometric microlensing events due to massive stellar populations according to the Gaia observing strategy by considering (a) stellar-mass black holes, (b) neutron stars, (c) white dwarfs and (d) main-sequence stars as microlenses. The Gaia efficiency for detecting the binary signatures in binary astrometr…
Context. Observations indicate that the fraction of potential binary star clusters in the Milky Way is either the same or lower than that of the Magellanic Clouds. The unprecedented precision in the parallax measurements by Gaia has allowed for the discovery of a growing number of new binary open clusters (OCs). Aims. We aim to survey the candidates of truly binary open clusters that are formed simultaneously, using information from the Gaia database. Methods. Based on the most recent catalog of open clusters, we investigated the interactions of adjacent binary open clusters in our Galaxy with…
$N$-body modelling of the ED-2 stream progenitor shows Gaia BH3's formation involved dynamical interactions
Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik（海德堡大学天体物理中心理论天体物理研究所）；Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那宇宙科学研究所）；Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica (FQA), Universitat de Barcelona (UB)（巴塞罗那大学量子物理与天体物理系）；ICREA（加泰罗尼亚高级研究学院）；Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC)（加泰罗尼亚空间研究院）
3350 objects from the Sixth catalog of orbits of visual binary stars (ORB6) are investigated to validate Gaia EDR3 parallaxes and provide mass estimates for the systems. We show that 2/3 of binaries with 0.2 - 0.5 arcsec separation are left without a parallax solution in EDR3. A special attention is paid to 521 pairs with parallax known separately for both components. We find 16 entries that are deemed to be chance alignments of unrelated stars. At once we show examples of high-confidence binary systems with significant differences in the reported parallaxes of their components. Next we conclu…
M40 has always been something of an oddity in the Messier Catalogue, since it is just a pair of stars rather than an extended object. Doubts have also been expressed as to whether it is even a physical binary. Here, we note that the Hipparcos/Gaia parallaxes for these two stars remove all doubt: Messier 40 comprises a pair of entirely unrelated stars.
Basing on the large volume \textit{Gaia} Early Data Release 3 and LAMOST Data Release 5 data, we estimate the bias-corrected binary fractions of the field late G and early K dwarfs. A stellar locus outlier method is used in this work, which works well for binaries of various periods and inclination angles with single epoch data. With a well-selected, distance-limited sample of about 90 thousand GK dwarfs covering wide stellar chemical abundances, it enables us to explore the binary fraction variations with different stellar populations. The average binary fraction is 0.42$\pm$0.01 for the whol…
Using the absolute astrometric positions and proper motions for common stars in the Hipparcos and Gaia catalogs separated by 24.75 years in the mean epoch, we compute mass ratios for long-period, resolved binary systems without any astrophysical assumptions or dependencies except the presence of inner binary subsystems that may perturb the observed mean proper motions. The mean epoch positions of binary companions from the Hipparcos Double and Multiple System Annex (DMSA) are used as the first epoch. The mean positions and proper motions of carefully cross-matched counterparts in Gaia EDR3 com…
The formation and evolution of binary star systems still remain key questions in modern astronomy. Wide binary pairs (separations $>10^3$ AU) are particularly intriguing because their low binding energies make it difficult for the stars to stay gravitationally bound over extended timescales,and thus probe the dynamics of binary formation and dissolution. Our previous SLoWPoKES I \& II catalogs provided the largest and most complete sample of wide binary pairs of low masses. Here we present an extension of these catalogs to a broad range of stellar masses: the Gaia Assorted Mass Binaries Long E…
We demonstrate the eclipsing binary detection performance of the Gaia variability analysis and processing pipeline using Hipparcos data. The automated pipeline classifies 1,067 (0.9%) of the 118,204 Hipparcos sources as eclipsing binary candidates. The detection rate amounts to 89% (732 sources) in a subset of 819 visually confirmed eclipsing binaries, with the period correctly identified for 80% of them, and double or half periods obtained in 6% of the cases.
Millions of Main-Sequence Binary Stars from Gaia BP/RP Spectra
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie（马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所）；Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学天文学系）；Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP), The Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学宇宙学与天体粒子物理中心）；Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院天文学系）；Key Lab of Space Astronomy and Technology, National Astronomical Observatories（国家天文台空间天文与技术重点实验室）；Institute for Frontiers in Astronomy and Astrophysics of Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学天文与前沿科学研究院）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；Zhejiang Lab（浙江实验室）
We show how astrometric and spectroscopic errors introduced by an unresolved binary system can be combined to give estimates of the binary period and mass ratio. This can be performed analytically if we assume we see one or more full orbits over our observational baseline, or numerically for all other cases. We apply this method to Gaia DR3 data, combining the most recent astrometric and spectroscopic data. We compare inferred periods and mass ratios calculated using our method with orbital parameters measured for non-single stars in Gaia DR3 and find good agreement. Finally, we use this metho…
Distributions of wide binary stars in theory and in Gaia data: I. Generalized Ambartsumian (1937) approach and the family of power-law distributions of eccentricity
Multiple stellar systems are ubiquitous in the Milky Way, but are often unresolved and seen as single objects in spectroscopic, photometric, and astrometric surveys. Yet, modeling them is essential for developing a full understanding of large surveys such as Gaia, and connecting them to stellar and Galactic models. In this paper we address this problem by jointly fitting the Gaia and 2MASS photometric and astrometric data using a data-driven Bayesian hierarchical model that includes populations of binary and trinary systems. This allows us to classify observations into singles, binaries, and t…
Lithium as a Signpost for Compact Object Binary Candidates in the LAMOST Medium Resolution Survey
Harvey Mudd College（哈维穆德学院）；Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science（卡内基科学研究所天文台）；Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院天文学系）
Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2) was used to select a sample of 211 central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe) with good quality astrometric measurements, that we refer to as GAPN, Golden Astrometry Planetary Nebulae. Gaia astrometric and photometric measurements allowed us to derive accurate distances and radii, and to calculate luminosities with the addition of self-consistent literature values. Such information was used to plot the position of these stars in a Hertzsprung-Russel (HR) diagram and to study their evolutionary status in comparison with CSPNe evolutionary tracks. The extremely precise …
A Systematic Gaia--ZTF Search for Short-Period Blue Compact-Binary Candidates
School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学物理学院）；CSST Science Center for the Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Greater Bay Area, Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学粤港澳大湾区CSST科学中心）；School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University（安徽科技学院电气与电子工程学院）；School of Science, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University（中山大学深圳校区理学院）
We examine the distribution of on-sky relative velocities for wide binaries previously assembled from GAIA DR2 data and focus on the origin of the high velocity tail of apparently unbound systems which may be interpreted as evidence for non-Newtonian gravity in the weak field limit. We argue that this tail is instead explicable in terms of a population of hidden triples, i.e. cases where one of the components of the wide binary is itself a close binary unresolved in the GAIA data. In this case the motion of the photocentre of the inner pair relative to its barycentre affects the apparent relat…
We use Gaia Data Release 2 to search for possible surviving binary companions to three of the best studied historical Milky Way core-collapse supernovae. Consistent with previous work, we find there to be no plausible binary companion to either the Crab or Cas A supernovae. For the first time, we present a systematic search for a former companion to the Vela supernova, and rule out essentially any surviving luminous ($>L_\odot$) companion. Based on parallax and proper motion, we identify a faint source (Star A; Gaia Source ID 5521955992667891584) which is kinematically consistent with being a …
Two upcoming large scale surveys, the ESA Gaia and LSST projects, will bring a new era in astronomy. The number of binary systems that will be observed and detected by these projects is enormous, estimations range from millions for Gaia to several tens of millions for LSST. We review some tools that should be developed and also what can be gained from these missions on the subject of binaries and exoplanets from the astrometry, photometry, radial velocity and their alert systems.
The observed late-type WC Wolf-Rayet stars (WC7-9) with low luminosity below $\rm \log L/L_{\odot} < 5.4$ in the HR diagram cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by the evolutionary track of single stars. The mass transfer due to Roche lobe overflow drastically modifies the internal structure and surface compositions of two components. Therefore, binaries provide a very promising evolutionary channel to produce these WC stars.
Using the recently published Gaia second data release which includes measurements of the mean radial velocity of about 7.2 million stars, we performed a systematic comparison with other existing radial velocity catalogues in order to search for variations in the radial velocity measurements, with the goal that detected differences may indicate that these stars are possibly spectroscopic binaries stars with only one visible component (SB1). We present a spectroscopic binary candidate stars catalogue containing 35,246 stars, compiled to encourage follow-up observations obtaining spectra at diffe…
Radial Velocity Orbital Solutions for Candidate Black Hole and Neutron Star Binary Systems in the Gaia Data Release 3 Catalog
Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science（卡内基科学研究所天文台）；Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院天文学系）；Gemini South, Gemini Observatory, NSF’s NOIRLab（吉米南望远镜，吉米天文台，美国国家光学红外天文研究实验室）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Huntsville（阿拉巴马大学亨茨维尔分校物理与天文学系）；Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校天文学与天体物理学系）；Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Observatories（拉斯坎帕纳斯天文台，卡内基天文台）；Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Mānoa（夏威夷大学马诺阿分校天体物理研究所）
In the new era of large-scale astronomical surveys, automated methods of analysis and classification of bulk data are a fundamental tool for fast and efficient production of deliverables. This becomes ever more imminent as we enter the Gaia era. We investigate the potential detectability of eclipsing binaries with Gaia using a data set of all Kepler eclipsing binaries sampled with Gaia cadence and folded with the Kepler period. The performance of fitting methods is evaluated with comparison to real Kepler data parameters and a classification scheme is proposed for the potentially detectable so…
BE Lyncis is not a Black Hole Binary: Lessons From Gaia and Hipparcos Astrometry
California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；Texas Tech University（德克萨斯理工大学）；Universitat de Barcelona（巴塞罗那大学）；Max Planck Institute for Astronomy（马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所）
通过 Gaia 和 Hipparcos 恒星测量数据，研究者发现 BE Lyn 不可能是黑洞双星，其观测到的自行异常与预期不符，且黑洞双星模型与观测数据矛盾。
The $Gaia$ mission has provided an unprecedented wealth of information about the white dwarf population of our Galaxy. In particular, our studies show that the sample up to 100\,pc from the Sun can be considered as practically complete. This fact allows us to estimate a precise fraction of double-degenerate ($1.18\pm 0.10$\%) and white dwarf plus main-sequence stars ($6.31\pm0.23$\%) among all white dwarfs through comoving pairs identification. With the aid of a detailed population synthesis code we are able to reproduce synthetic white dwarf populations with nearly identical fractions as the …
For stars with unresolved companions, motions of the centre of light and that of mass decouple, causing a single-source astrometric model to perform poorly. We show that such stars can be easily detected with the reduced chi2 statistic, or RUWE, provided as part of Gaia DR2. We convert RUWE into the amplitude of the image centroid wobble, which, if scaled by the source distance, is proportional to the physical separation between companions (for periods up to several years). We test this idea on a sample of known spectroscopic binaries and demonstrate that the amplitude of the centroid perturba…
