Unveiling the nature of G6096: a likely hierarchical triple system
arXiv:2607.13772
The authors re‑examine the object G6096, previously thought to be a wide binary with a compact companion, and using spectroscopy, radial‑velocity and astrometric analysis together with X‑ray data, conclude it is most likely a hierarchical triple system of main‑sequence stars. They also introduce a combined SED, rotation‑velocity, and astrometry modeling approach for identifying such triples in Gaia data.
Abstract
G6096 (Gaia DR3 609651611028044544) was recently reported as a wide ( days) and eccentric () binary possibly hosting a massive white dwarf or neutron star. In this work, through analyses of the projected rotational velocity between the blue and red bands, spectral disentangling, joint radial velocity and astrometric fitting, and X-ray emission, we suggest that the system contains additional visible component(s) rather than a compact object. We develop a new approach to reveal the nature of G6096 by jointly modeling the spectral energy distribution, rotational velocity, and astrometric measurements. Finally, we speculate that G6096 is a hierarchical triple main-sequence star system, comprising a primary with a mass of orbited by an inner binary consisting of two dwarfs with masses of and , respectively. This method may help reveal a population of triple systems when applied to {\it Gaia} astrometric data, particularly the upcoming DR4.
15 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters