The short-period end of the contact binary period distribution based on the All-Sky Automated Survey |
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| Authors: | Slavek M Rucinski |
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| Institution: | Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, David Dunlap Observatory, PO Box 360, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 4Y6, Canada |
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| Abstract: | The search volume-corrected period distribution of contact binaries of the W UMa type appears to reflect primarily the constant number ratio of ?1/500 to the number of stars along the main sequence; there exist no evidence for angular momentum evolution. The maximum in contact binary numbers is located at shorter periods than estimated before, P ? 0.27 d . The drop in numbers towards the cut-off at P ? 0.215–0.22 d still suffers from the small number statistics while the cut-off itself remains unexplained. Only one out of seven short-period All-Sky Automated Survey variables with P < 0.22 d have been retained in the sample considered here within 8 < V < 13 ; this short-period field-sky record holder at P = 0.2178 d should be studied. |
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| Keywords: | binaries: eclipsing binaries: general stars: evolution |
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