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Issue A&A
Volume 384, Number 1, March II 2002
Page(s) 209 - 214
Section Formation, structure and evolution of stars
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20020004



A&A 384, 209-214 (2002)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20020004

$\beta$ Centauri: An eccentric binary with two $\beta$ Cep-type components

M. Ausseloos1, C. Aerts1, K. Uytterhoeven1, C. Schrijvers2, C. Waelkens1 and J. Cuypers3

1  Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 B, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
2  Space Department, TNO TPD, Stieltjesweg 1, 2600 AD Delft, The Netherlands
3  Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van België, Ringlaan 3, 1080 Brussels, Belgium

(Received 21 December 2001 / Accepted 2 January 2002)

Abstract
We introduce our observational study of the orbital motion and the intrinsic variability of the double-lined spectroscopic binary $\beta$ Cen. Using 463 high signal-to-noise, high-resolution spectra obtained over a timespan of 12 years it is shown that the radial velocity of $\beta$ Cen varies with an orbital period of 357.0 days. We derive for the first time the orbital parameters of $\beta$ Cen and find a very eccentric orbit ( e=0.81) and similar component masses with a mass ratio M1/M2=1.02. $\beta\,$Cen forms a challenge for current evolution scenarios in close binaries and it is also a puzzle how a massive binary with such a large eccentricity could have formed in the first place. Both the primary and the secondary exhibit line-profile variations. A period analysis performed on the radial velocity variations of the primary after prewhitening the orbital motion leads to the detection of at least 3 pulsation frequencies while the star does not show any periodic photometric variability.


Key words: stars: binaries: spectroscopic -- stars: variables: $\beta$ Cep -- stars: individual: $\beta$ Cen

Offprint request: C. Aerts, conny@ster.kuleuven.ac.be

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