KIC 1571511B: a benchmark low-mass star in an eclipsing binary system in the Kepler field

A. Ofir, D. Gandolfi, Lars A. Buchhave, C. H. S. Lacy, A. P. Hatzes, Malcolm Fridlund

24 Citations (Scopus)
42 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

KIC 1571511 is a 14-d eclipsing binary (EB) in the Kepler data set. The secondary of this EB is a very low mass star with amass of 0.14136±0.00036M and a radius of 0.17831+0.00051-0.00062 R (statistical errors only). The overall system parameters make KIC 1571511B an ideal benchmark object: among the smallest, lightest and best-described stars known, smaller even than some known exoplanet. Currently available photometry encompasses only a small part of the total: future Kepler data releases promise to constrain many of the properties of KIC 1571511B to unprecedented level. However, as in many spectroscopic single-lined systems, the current error budget is dominated by the modelling errors of the primary and not by the above statistical errors. We conclude that detecting the RV signal of the secondary component is crucial to achieving the full potential of this possible benchmark object for the study of low-mass stars.

Original languageEnglish
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Volume423
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)L1-L5
Number of pages5
ISSN1745-3933
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2012

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