TY - JOUR
T1 - The mass ratio distribution in main-sequence spectroscopic binaries measured by infrared spectroscopy
AU - Mazeh, T.
AU - Simon, M.
AU - Prato, L.
AU - Markus, B.
AU - Zucker, S.
PY - 2003/12/20
Y1 - 2003/12/20
N2 - We report infrared spectroscopic observations of a large well-defined sample of main-sequence, single-lined spectroscopic binaries to detect the secondaries and derive the mass ratio distribution of short-period binaries. The sample consists of 51 Galactic disk spectroscopic binaries found in the Carney and Latham high proper motion survey, with primary masses in the range 0.6-0.85 M⊙. Our infrared observations detect the secondaries in 32 systems, two of which have mass ratios, q = M2/M1, as low as ∼0.20. Together with 11 systems previously identified as double-lined binaries by visible light spectroscopy, we have a complete sample of 62 binaries, of which 43 are double lined. The mass ratio distribution is approximately constant over the range q = 1.0-0.3. The distribution appears to rise at lower q values, but the uncertainties are sufficiently large that we cannot rule out a distribution that remains constant. The mass distribution derived for the secondaries in our sample and that of the extrasolar planets apparently represent two distinct populations.
AB - We report infrared spectroscopic observations of a large well-defined sample of main-sequence, single-lined spectroscopic binaries to detect the secondaries and derive the mass ratio distribution of short-period binaries. The sample consists of 51 Galactic disk spectroscopic binaries found in the Carney and Latham high proper motion survey, with primary masses in the range 0.6-0.85 M⊙. Our infrared observations detect the secondaries in 32 systems, two of which have mass ratios, q = M2/M1, as low as ∼0.20. Together with 11 systems previously identified as double-lined binaries by visible light spectroscopy, we have a complete sample of 62 binaries, of which 43 are double lined. The mass ratio distribution is approximately constant over the range q = 1.0-0.3. The distribution appears to rise at lower q values, but the uncertainties are sufficiently large that we cannot rule out a distribution that remains constant. The mass distribution derived for the secondaries in our sample and that of the extrasolar planets apparently represent two distinct populations.
KW - Binaries: spectroscopic
KW - Infrared: stars
KW - Stars: formation
KW - Stars: fundamental parameters
KW - Techniques: radial velocities
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0346040245&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1086/379346
DO - 10.1086/379346
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AN - SCOPUS:0346040245
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 599
SP - 1344
EP - 1356
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 2 I
ER -