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1. The loudest stellar heartbeat: characterizing the most extreme amplitude heartbeat star system

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab1920  

   Jayasinghe, T; Kochanek, C S; Strader, J; Stanek, K Z; Vallely, P J; Thompson, Todd A; Hinkle, J T; Shappee, B J; Dupree, A K; Auchettl, K; et al (July 2021, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   null (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT We characterize the extreme heartbeat star system MACHO 80.7443.1718 in the Large Magellanic Cloud using Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) photometry and spectroscopic observations from the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle (MIKE) and SOAR Goodman spectographs. MACHO 80.7443.1718 was first identified as a heartbeat star system in the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) with $$P_{\rm orb}=32.836\pm 0.008\, {\rm d}$$. MACHO 80.7443.1718 is a young (∼6 Myr), massive binary, composed of a B0 Iae supergiant with $$M_1 \simeq 35\, {\rm M}_\odot$$ and an O9.5V secondary with $$M_2 \simeq 16\, {\rm M}_\odot$$ on an eccentric (e = 0.51 ± 0.03) orbit. In addition to having the largest variability amplitude amongst all known heartbeats stars, MACHO 80.7443.1718 is also one of the most massive heartbeat stars yet discovered. The B[e] supergiant has Balmer emission lines and permitted/forbidden metallic emission lines associated with a circumstellar disc. The disc rapidly dissipates at periastron that could indicate mass transfer to the secondary, but re-emerges immediately following periastron passage. MACHO 80.7443.1718 also shows tidally excited oscillations at the N = 25 and N = 41 orbital harmonics and has a rotational period of 4.4 d. 

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2. The former companion of hyper-velocity star S5-HVS1

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab459  

   Lu, Wenbin; Fuller, Jim; Raveh, Yael; Perets, Hagai B; Li, Ting S; Hosek, Matthew W; Do, Tuan (March 2021, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   null (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT The hyper-velocity star S5-HVS1, ejected 5 Myr ago from the Galactic Centre at 1800 km s−1, was most likely produced by tidal break-up of a tight binary by the supermassive black hole SgrA*. Taking a Monte Carlo approach, we show that the former companion of S5-HVS1 was likely a main-sequence star between 1.2 and 6 M⊙ and was captured into a highly eccentric orbit with pericentre distance in the range of 1–10 au and semimajor axis about 103 au. We then explore the fate of the captured star. We find that the heat deposited by tidally excited stellar oscillation modes leads to runaway disruption if the pericentre distance is smaller than about $$3\rm \, au$$. Over the past 5 Myr, its angular momentum has been significantly modified by orbital relaxation, which may stochastically drive the pericentre inwards below $$3\rm \, au$$ and cause tidal disruption. We find an overall survival probability in the range 5 per cent to 50 per cent, depending on the local relaxation time in the close environment of the captured star, and the initial pericentre at capture. The pericentre distance of the surviving star has migrated to 10–100 au, making it potentially the most extreme member of the S-star cluster. From the ejection rate of S5-HVS1-like stars, we estimate that there may currently be a few stars in such highly eccentric orbits. They should be detectable (typically $$K_{\rm s}\lesssim 18.5\,$$ mag) by the GRAVITY instrument and by future Extremely Large Telescopes and hence provide an extraordinary probe of the spin of SgrA*. 

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3. A unicorn in monoceros: the 3 M⊙ dark companion to the bright, nearby red giant V723 Mon is a non-interacting, mass-gap black hole candidate

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab907  

   Jayasinghe, T; Stanek, K Z; Thompson, Todd A; Kochanek, C S; Rowan, D M; Vallely, P J; Strassmeier, K G; Weber, M; Hinkle, J T; Hambsch, F-J; et al (May 2021, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   null (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT We report the discovery of the closest known black hole candidate as a binary companion to V723 Mon. V723 Mon is a nearby ($$d\sim 460\, \rm pc$$), bright (V ≃ 8.3 mag), evolved (Teff, giant ≃ 4440 K, and Lgiant ≃ 173 L⊙) red giant in a high mass function, f(M) = 1.72 ± 0.01 M⊙, nearly circular binary (P = 59.9 d, e ≃ 0). V723 Mon is a known variable star, previously classified as an eclipsing binary, but its All-Sky Automated Survey, Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope, and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite light curves are those of a nearly edge-on ellipsoidal variable. Detailed models of the light curves constrained by the period, radial velocities, and stellar temperature give an inclination of $$87.0^{\circ ^{+1.7^\circ }}_{-1.4^\circ }$$, a mass ratio of q ≃ 0.33 ± 0.02, a companion mass of Mcomp = 3.04 ± 0.06 M⊙, a stellar radius of Rgiant = 24.9 ± 0.7 R⊙, and a giant mass of Mgiant = 1.00 ± 0.07 M⊙. We identify a likely non-stellar, diffuse veiling component with contributions in the B and V band of $${\sim }63{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$$ and $${\sim }24{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$$, respectively. The SED and the absence of continuum eclipses imply that the companion mass must be dominated by a compact object. We do observe eclipses of the Balmer lines when the dark companion passes behind the giant, but their velocity spreads are low compared to observed accretion discs. The X-ray luminosity of the system is $$L_{\rm X}\simeq 7.6\times 10^{29}~\rm ergs~s^{-1}$$, corresponding to L/Ledd ∼ 10−9. The simplest explanation for the massive companion is a single compact object, most likely a black hole in the ‘mass gap’. 

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4. The ASAS-SN catalogue of variable stars VI: an all-sky sample of δ Scuti stars

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa499  

   Jayasinghe, T; Stanek, K Z; Kochanek, C S; Vallely, P J; Shappee, B J; Holoien, T W-S; Thompson, Todd A; Prieto, J L; Pejcha, O; Fausnaugh, M; et al (April 2020, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   ABSTRACT We characterize an all-sky catalogue of ∼8400 δ Scuti variables in ASAS-SN, which includes ∼3300 new discoveries. Using distances from Gaia DR2, we derive period–luminosity relationships for both the fundamental mode and overtone pulsators in the WJK, V, Gaia DR2 G, J, H, Ks, and W1 bands. We find that the overtone pulsators have a dominant overtone mode, with many sources pulsating in the second overtone or higher order modes. The fundamental mode pulsators have metallicity-dependent periods, with log10(P) ∼ −1.1 for $$\rm [Fe/H]\lt -0.3$$ and log10(P) ∼ −0.9 for $$\rm [Fe/H]\gt 0$$, which leads to a period-dependent scale height. Stars with $$P\gt 0.100\, \rm d$$ are predominantly located close to the Galactic disc ($$\rm |\mathit{ Z}|\lt 0.5\, kpc$$). The median period at a scale height of $$Z\sim 0\, \rm kpc$$ also increases with the Galactocentric radius R, from log10(P) ∼ −0.94 for sources with $$R\gt 9\, \rm kpc$$ to log10(P) ∼ −0.85 for sources with $$R\lt 7\, \rm kpc$$, which is indicative of a radial metallicity gradient. To illustrate potential applications of this all-sky catalogue, we obtained 30 min cadence, image subtraction TESS light curves for a sample of 10 fundamental mode and 10 overtone δ Scuti stars discovered by ASAS-SN. From this sample, we identified two new δ Scuti eclipsing binaries, ASASSN-V J071855.62−434247.3 and ASASSN-V J170344.20−615941.2 with short orbital periods of Porb = 2.6096 and 2.5347 d, respectively. 

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5. The ASAS-SN bright supernova catalogue – V. 2018–2020

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad355  

   Neumann, K D; Holoien, T W-S; Kochanek, C S; Stanek, K Z; Vallely, P J; Shappee, B J; Prieto, J L; Pessi, T; Jayasinghe, T; Brimacombe, J; et al (February 2023, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   ABSTRACT We catalogue the 443 bright supernovae (SNe) discovered by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) in 2018−2020 along with the 519 SNe recovered by ASAS-SN and 516 additional mpeak ≤ 18 mag SNe missed by ASAS-SN. Our statistical analysis focuses primarily on the 984 SNe discovered or recovered in ASAS-SN g-band observations. The complete sample of 2427 ASAS-SN SNe includes earlier V-band samples and unrecovered SNe. For each SN, we identify the host galaxy, its UV to mid-IR photometry, and the SN’s offset from the centre of the host. Updated peak magnitudes, redshifts, spectral classifications, and host galaxy identifications supersede earlier results. With the increase of the limiting magnitude to g ≤ 18 mag, the ASAS-SN sample is nearly complete up to mpeak = 16.7 mag and is 90 per cent complete for mpeak ≤ 17.0 mag. This is an increase from the V-band sample, where it was roughly complete up to mpeak = 16.2 mag and 70 per cent complete for mpeak ≤ 17.0 mag. 

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