The Discovery of Two Quadruple Star Systems with the Second and Third Shortest Outer Periods
Abstract We present the discovery of two quadruple star systems—TIC 285853156 and TIC 392229331—each consisting of two bound eclipsing binary stars. Among the most compact quadruples known, TIC 392229331 and TIC 285853156 have the second and third shortest outer orbital periods (145 days and 152 days, respectively) after BU Canis Minoris (122 days). We demonstrate that both systems are long-term dynamically stable despite substantial outer orbital eccentricities (0.33 for TIC 285853156 and 0.56 for TIC 392229331). We previously reported these systems in V. B. Kostov et al. and V. B Kostov et al. as 2 + 2 hierarchical quadruple candidates producing two sets of primary and secondary eclipses in TESS data, as well as prominent eclipse timing variations on both binary components. We combine all available TESS data and new spectroscopic observations into a comprehensive photodynamical model, proving that the component binary stars are gravitationally bound in both systems and finding accurate stellar and orbital parameters for both systems, including very precise determinations of the outer periods. TIC 285853156 and TIC 392229331 represent the latest addition to the small population of well-characterized proven quadruple systems dynamically interacting on detectable timescales.
Authors
- Martti H. Kristiansen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2607-138X)
- Hans Martin Schwengeler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1637-2189)
- S. Rappaport (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3182-5569)
- Daryll M. LaCourse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8527-2114)
- David W. Latham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9911-7388)
- Maxwell Moe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0870-6388)
- Veselin B. Kostov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9786-1031)
- Thomas L. Jacobs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3988-3245)
- Brian P. Powell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0501-2636)
- Ivan A. Terentev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0654-4442)
- T. Borkovits (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8806-496X)
- Guillermo Torres (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5286-0251)
- Allan R. Schmitt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5034-0949)
- R. Gagliano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5665-1879)
- Mark Omohundro
Institutions
- University of Wyoming (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- University of Szeged (HU)
- Konkoly Observatory (HU)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (HU)
- Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- Public Citizen (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Published
- 2025-05-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adcece
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.46