A search for wide binaries at the North Galactic Pole using precise radial velocities

We present precise radial velocities from a survey of 247 stars centered on Selected Area 57 at the North Galactic Pole, complete for late-type stars with V magnitude brighter than 12.0. The radial velocities have a typical precision of 0.2-0.3 km s^-1. New spectral types and distances estimates are presented for 120 of the stars in the sample. We have considered all pairs of stars with angular separations between 1 and 600 arcsec, and find 11 candidate pairs with velocity differences less than 1.5 km s^-1. We estimate that 4 or 5 of the 11 candidate pairs are actually bound binaries, but none with separations larger than 0.1 pc. The constraints imposed by these results on the actual distribution of wide binaries in the Galaxy should now be reanalyzed. The unusual precision of our velocities led to the discovery of a new cluster associated with the multiple system ADS 8811ABC.