Short period eclipsing binary candidates identified using SuperWASP^⋆

¹ Department of Physics and AstronomyThe Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
e-mail: a.j.norton@open.ac.uk
² Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
³ Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
⁴ Astrophysics Group, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
⁵ Astrophysics Research Centre, Main Physics Building, School of Mathematics & Physics, Queen’s University, University Road, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
⁶ School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, UK
⁷ Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA
⁸ Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, Apartado de Correos 321, 38700 Santa Cruz de la Palma, Tenerife, Spain
⁹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Northridge, CA 91330, USA
¹⁰ NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, Caltech, MS 100-22, 770 South Wilson Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Received: 6 January 2011
Accepted: 28 January 2011

Abstract

We present light curves and periods of 53 candidates for short period eclipsing binary stars identified by SuperWASP. These include 48 newly identified objects with periods  <2 × 10⁴ s (~0.23 d), as well as the shortest period binary known with main sequence components (GSC2314–0530 = 1SWASP J022050.85 + 332047.6) and four other previously known W UMa stars (although the previously reported periods for two of these four are shown to be incorrect). The period distribution of main sequence contact binaries shows a sharp cut-off at a lower limit of around 0.22 d, but until now, very few systems were known close to this limit. These new candidates will therefore be important for understanding the evolution of low mass stars and to allow investigation of the cause of the period cut-off.