The GALAH survey: unresolved triple Sun-like stars discovered by the Gaia mission

Klemen Čotar, Tomaž Zwitter, Gregor Traven, Janez Kos, Martin Asplund, Joss Bland-Hawthorn, Sven Buder, Valentina D'Orazi, Gayandhi M. De Silva, Jane Lin, Sarah L. Martell, Sanjib Sharma, Jeffrey D. Simpson, Daniel B. Zucker, Jonathan Horner, Geraint F. Lewis, Thomas Nordlander, Yuan-Sen Ting, Rob A. Wittenmyer

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    Abstract

    The latest Gaia data release enables us to accurately identify stars that are more luminous than would be expected on the basis of their spectral type and distance. During an investigation of the 329 best solar twin candidates uncovered among the spectra acquired by the GALAH survey, we identified 64 such overluminous stars. In order to investigate their exact composition, we developed a data-driven methodology that can generate a synthetic photometric signature and spectrum of a single star. By combining multiple such synthetic stars into an unresolved binary or triple system and comparing the results to the actual photometric and spectroscopic observations, we uncovered 6 definitive triple stellar system candidates and an additional 14 potential candidates whose combined spectrum mimics the solar spectrum. Considering the volume correction factor for a magnitude-limited survey, the fraction of probable unresolved triple stars with long orbital periods is ~2 per cent. Possible orbital configurations of the candidates were investigated using the selection and observational limits. To validate the discovered multiplicity fraction, the same procedure was used to evaluate the multiplicity fraction of other stellar types.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2474-2490
    Number of pages17
    JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
    Volume487
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2019

    Bibliographical note

    This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 487, Issue 2, August 2019, Pages 2474–2490, https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stz1397. Copyright 2019 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

    Keywords

    • Binaries: general
    • Galaxy: stellar content
    • Methods: data analysis
    • Stars: solar-type

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