The quasi-resonant variability of the massive LMC system BI 108

Abstract

The early B supergiant LMC star BI 108 is photometrically variable with a unique light curve; two strong periods are present in an almost precise 3:2 resonance. We collected spectroscopic data at VLT/UVES, sampling the supercycle of 10.733 days in ten epochs. We find spectral signatures for a SB2 system consisting of two massive B1 supergiants orbiting at the orbital period of 5.366 days. The shorter periodicity resembles the light curve of an eclipsing binary with periodicity 3.578 days that is not detected in the data. We discuss possible causes for the short periodicity and conclude that the quadruple system is the more plausible hypothesis.

Accepted for publication in MNRAS main journal, 6 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (4)

• A Grid of NLTE Line-Blanketed Model Atmospheres of Early B-type Stars
• VOSA: Virtual Observatory SED Analyzer. An application to the Collinder 69 open cluster
• The light variability of the helium strong star HD 37776 as a result of its inhomogeneous elemental surface distribution
• Discovery of a double eclipsing binary with periods near a 3:2 ratio

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Greatly Enhanced Eccentricity Oscillations in Quadruple Systems Composed of Two Binaries: Implications for Stars, Planets, and Transients
• 1SWASP J093010.78+533859.5: A Possible Hierarchical Quintuple System
• Resonant capture in quadruple stellar systems
• The complex dynamical past and future of double eclipsing binary CzeV343: misaligned orbits and period resonance