Revised physical elements of the astrophysically important O9.5+O9.5V eclipsing binary system Y Cygni ^{⋆,⋆⋆,⋆⋆⋆}

¹ Astronomical Institute of the Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 – Troja, Czech Republic
e-mail: Petr.Harmanec@mff.cuni.cz
² SMART Technologies, 3636 Research Road N.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2L 1Y1 Canada
³ Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, Zagreb University, Kačiéva 26, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
⁴ Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085, USA
⁵ Dept. of Earth Sciences, Sejong University Seoul, 143-747 Seoul, Korea
⁶ Physics & Astronomy Department, University of Victoria, PO Box 3055 STN CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P6, Canada
⁷ Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 251 65 Ondřejov, Czech Republic
⁸ TRIBASE Net, ltd., Výpustky 5, 614 00 Brno, Czech Republic

Received: 11 December 2013
Accepted: 23 January 2014

Abstract

Context. Rapid advancements in light-curve and radial-velocity curve modelling, as well as improvements in the accuracy of observations, allow more stringent tests of the theory of stellar evolution. Binaries with rapid apsidal advance are particularly useful in this respect since the internal structure of the stars can also be tested.

Aims. Thanks to its long and rich observational history and rapid apsidal motion, the massive eclipsing binary Y Cygrepresents one of the cornerstones of critical tests of stellar evolutionary theory for massive stars. Nevertheless, the determination of the basic physical properties is less accurate than it could be given the existing number of spectral and photometric observations. Our goal is to analyse all these data simultaneously with the new dedicated series of our own spectral and photometric observations from observatories widely separated in longitude.

Methods. We obtained new series of UBV observations at three observatories separated in local time to obtain complete light curves of Y Cygfor its orbital period close to 3 days. This new photometry was reduced and carefully transformed to the standard UBV system using the HEC22 program. We also obtained new series of red spectra secured at two observatories and re-analysed earlier obtained blue electronic spectra. Reduction of the new spectra was carried out in the IRAF and SPEFO programs. Orbital elements were derived independently with the FOTEL and PHOEBE programs and via disentangling with the program KOREL . The final combined solution was obtained with the program PHOEBE .

Results. Our analyses provide the most accurate value of the apsidal period of (47.805 ± 0.030) yr published so far and the following physical elements: M₁ = 17.72 ± 0.35 M_⊙, M₂ = 17.73 ± 0.30 M_⊙, R₁ = 5.785 ± 0.091 R_⊙, and R₂ = 5.816 ± 0.063 R_⊙. The disentangling thus resulted in the masses, which are somewhat higher than all previous determinations and virtually the same for both stars, while the light curve implies a slighly higher radius and luminosity for star 2. The above empirical values imply the logarithm of the internal structure constant log  k₂ = −1.937. A comparison with Claret’s stellar interior models implies an age close to 2 × 10⁶ yr for both stars.

Conclusions. The claimed accuracy of modern element determination of 1–2 per cent still seems a bit too optimistic and obtaining new high-dispersion and high-resolution spectra is desirable.