PF-10-0014

Photometric and spectroscopic characterization of a close binary dipper

Yui Kasagi, Takuya Yamashita, Eric Gaidos, Andrew Hoffman, Takayuki Kotani, Hajime Kawahara, Takayuki Muto, Kento Masuda, Munetake Momose

Some young stellar objects show episodic/quasi-periodic dimmings in their light curves lasting a few days, known as “dippers.” This dipping phenomenon is likely induced by occultations due to circumstellar disk material. Such variability has also been discovered in data from recent long-term, high-cadence monitoring campaigns (e.g., Kepler, TESS). Tajiri et al. (2020) found dippers from TESS Full Flame Images, not only in star-forming regions but even out of them. From our previous follow-up observation, one of them shows a large radial velocity variation, indicating it has an unseen companion (Kasagi et al. 2022). Interestingly, the orbital period of this close binary is almost the same as the period of the occurrence of dips. It also shows the variability of Hα emission, suggesting the accretion from the disk onto the star. Little has been known about the dimming mechanism of a dipper in a binary system, and the characterization of this target will reveal new aspects of binary evolution at a young age. In this research, we performed additional multi-band photometric and infrared spectroscopic observations to unveil the dimming mechanism and the accretion in the disk close to this young binary. We discuss the possible connection between the dimming and the extended accretion stream that may exist around the binary system.