The behavior of O - C curves for contact binaries in the Kepler catalog
Name
864908364-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
6.97 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
27226d183a9fde3623e6cca8af776051
Author(s)
Tran, Kathy, S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Advisor(s)
Saul A. Rappaport.
Alternative Title
Behavior of observed minus calculated curves for contact binaries in the Kepler catalog
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In this thesis, we study the timing of eclipses for contact binary systems in the Kepler catalog. Observed eclipse times were determined from Kepler long-cadence light curves and "observed minus calculated" (0 - C) curves were generated for both primary and secondary eclipses of the contact binary systems. We found the 0 - C curves of contact binaries to be clearly distinctive from the curves of other binaries. The key characteristics of these curves are random-walk like variations, with typical semi-amplitudes of 200 to 300 seconds, quasi-periodicities, and anti-correlated behavior between the curves of the primary and secondary eclipses. We performed a formal analysis of systems with dominant anti-correlated behavior, calculating correlation coefficients as low as -0.77, with a mean value of -0.42. We dismiss several physical explanations to account for the observed the anti-correlation of the 0 - C curves. Instead, we propose a simple geometric model of a starspot that is continuously visible around the orbit.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 71-74).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
