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Paper: A Triple Eclipsing System as a Test Case for Close Binary Formation through Kozai Cycles
Volume: 496, Living Together: Planets, Host Stars and Binaries
Page: 99
Authors: Conroy, K. E.; Prša, A.; Stassun, K. G.
Abstract: Kozai cycles and tidal friction of a binary with a tertiary companion is one of the leading theories for the formation of close binary systems by tightening the orbit of the inner binary. According to simulations, such systems should evolve into tight inner binaries with eccentric tertiary companions on wide orbits, and importantly, predict the tertiary to have an orbital inclination misaligned relative to the plane of the inner binary, with an angle of misalignment that peaks strongly around 40 degrees. KIC 2835289 is a triple system comprising a ∼0.9-day inner binary and a tertiary on a ∼750-day orbit. The tertiary was identified through our eclipse timing variations and our finding of a tertiary eclipse event in the Kepler data. Here we show, using photodynamical modeling of the system, that the tertiary in this system is on an eccentric orbit inclined with respect to the inner binary, in agreement with theoretical prediction. KIC 2835289 is thus the first known triple system that directly attests to the key predictions of Kozai cycles and tidal friction as a mechanism to tighten binary star systems.
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