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Abstract We present an analysis of new and archival data to the 20.506 minute LISA verification binary J052610.42+593445.32 (J0526+5934). Our joint spectroscopic and photometric analysis finds that the binary contains an unseenM₁= 0.89 ± 0.11M_⊙CO-core white dwarf primary with anM₂= 0.38 ± 0.07M_⊙post-core-burning subdwarf, or low-mass white dwarf, companion. Given the short orbital period and relatively large total binary mass, we find that LISA will detect this binary with signal-to-noise ratio 44 after 4 yr of observations. J0526+5934 is expected to merge within 1.8 ± 0.3 Myr and likely result in a D⁶scenario Type Ia supernova or form a He-rich star that will evolve into a massive single white dwarf. 

ABSTRACT We present the discoveries of two of AM CVn systems, Gaia14aae and SDSS J080449.49+161624.8, which show X-ray pulsations at their orbital periods, indicative of magnetically collimated accretion. Both also show indications of higher rates of mass transfer relative to the expectations from binary evolution driven purely by gravitational radiation, based on existing optical data for Gaia14aae, which show a hotter white dwarf temperature than expected from standard evolutionary models, and X-ray data for SDSS J080449.49+161624.8 which show a luminosity 10−100 times higher than those for other AM CVn at similar orbital periods. The higher mass transfer rates could be driven by magnetic braking from the disc wind interacting with the magnetosphere of the tidally locked accretor. We discuss implications of this additional angular momentum transport mechanism for evolution and gravitational wave detectability of AM CVn objects. 

Abstract Galactic compact binaries with orbital periods shorter than a few hours emit detectable gravitational waves (GWs) at low frequencies. Their GW signals can be detected with the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Crucially, they may be useful in the early months of the mission operation in helping to validate LISA's performance in comparison to prelaunch expectations. We present an updated list of 55 candidate LISA-detectable binaries with measured properties, for which we derive distances based on Gaia Data Release 3 astrometry. Based on the known properties from electromagnetic observations, we predict the LISA detectability after 1, 3, 6, and 48 months using Bayesian analysis methods. We distinguish between verification and detectable binaries as being detectable after 3 and 48 months, respectively. We find 18 verification binaries and 22 detectable sources, which triples the number of known LISA binaries over the last few years. These include detached double white dwarfs, AM CVn binaries, one ultracompact X-ray binary, and two hot subdwarf binaries. We find that across this sample the GW amplitude is expected to be measured to ≈10% on average, while the inclination is expected to be determined with ≈15° precision. For detectable binaries, these average errors increase to ≈50% and ≈40°, respectively. 

ABSTRACT Blue large-amplitude pulsators (BLAPs) make up a rare class of hot pulsating stars with effective temperatures of ≈30 000 K and surface gravities of 4.0–5.0 dex (cgs). The evolutionary origin and current status of BLAPs is not well understood, largely based on a lack of spectroscopic observations and no available mass constraints. However, several theoretical models have been proposed that reproduce their observed properties, including studies that identify them as pulsating helium-core pre-white dwarfs (He-core pre-WDs). We present here follow-up high-speed photometry and phase-resolved spectroscopy of one of the original 14 BLAPs, OGLE-BLAP-009, discovered during the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. We aim to explore its pulsation characteristics and determine stellar properties such as mass and radius in order to test the consistency of these results with He-core pre-WD models. Using the mean atmospheric parameters found using spectroscopy, we fit a spectral energy distribution to obtain a preliminary estimate of the radius, luminosity, and mass by making use of the Gaia parallax. We then compare the consistency of these results to He-core pre-WD models generated using Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics, with predicted pulsation periods implemented using gyre. We find that our mass constraints are in agreement with a low-mass He-core pre-WD of ≈0.30 M⊙. 

ABSTRACT We present a detailed modelling study of CD-30°11223 (CD-30), a hot subdwarf (sdB)-white dwarf (WD) binary identified as a double detonation supernova progenitor, using the open-source stellar evolution software MESA. We focus on implementing binary evolution models carefully tuned to match the observed characteristics of the system including log g and Teff. For the first time, we account for the structure of the hydrogen envelope throughout the modelling, and find that the inclusion of element diffusion is important for matching the observed radius and temperature. We investigate the two sdB mass solutions (0.47 and 0.54 M⊙) previously proposed for this system, strongly favouring the 0.47 M⊙ solution. The WD cooling age is compared against the sdB age using our models, which suggest an sdB likely older than the WD, contrary to the standard assumption for compact sdB-WD binaries. Subsequently, we propose a possible alternate formation channel for CD-30. We also perform binary evolution modelling of the system to study various aspects such as mass transfer, orbital period evolution, and luminosity evolution. Our models confirm CD-30 as a double detonation supernova progenitor, expected to explode ≈55 Myr from now. The WD accretes an ≈0.17 M⊙ thick helium shell that causes a detonation, leaving a 0.30 M⊙ sdB ejected at ≈750 km s−1. The final 15 Myr of the system are characterized by helium accretion which dominates the system luminosity, possibly resembling an AM CVn-type system. 

Context.Hot sub-luminous stars represent a population of stripped and evolved red giants that is located on the extreme horizontal branch. Since they exhibit a wide range of variability due to pulsations or binary interactions, it is crucial to unveil their intrinsic and extrinsic variability to understand the physical processes of their formation. In the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, they overlap with interacting binaries such as cataclysmic variables (CVs). Aims.By leveraging the most recent clustering algorithm tools, we investigate the variability of 1576 candidate hot subdwarf variables using comprehensive data fromGaiaDR3 multi-epoch photometry and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observations. Methods.We present a novel approach that uses the t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding and the uniform manifold approximation and projection dimensionality reduction algorithms to facilitate the identification and classification of different populations of variable hot subdwarfs and CVs in a large dataset. In addition to the publicly availableGaiatime-series statistics table, we adopted additional statistical features that enhanced the performance of the algorithms. Results.The clustering results led to the identification of 85 new hot subdwarf variables based onGaiaand TESS light curves and of 108 new variables based onGaialight curves alone, including reflection-effect systems, HW Vir, ellipsoidal variables, and high-amplitude pulsating variables. A significant number of known CVs (140) distinctively cluster in the 2D feature space among an additional 152 objects that we consider candidates for new CVs. Conclusions.This study paves the way for more efficient and comprehensive analyses of stellar variability from ground- and space-based observations, and for the application of machine-learning classifications of candidate variable stars in large surveys. 

We present the first volume-limited sample of spectroscopically confirmed hot subluminous stars out to 500 pc, defined using the accurate parallax measurements from theGaiaspace mission data release 3 (DR3). The sample comprises a total of 397 members, with 305 (~77%) identified as hot subdwarf stars, including 83 newly discovered systems. Of these, we observe that 178 (~58%) are hydrogen-rich sdBs, 65 are sdOBs (~21%), 32 are sdOs (~11%), and 30 are He-sdO/Bs (~10%). Among them, 48 (~16%) exhibit an infrared excess in their spectral energy distribution fits, suggesting a composite binary system. The hot subdwarf population is estimated to be 90% complete, assuming that most missing systems are these composite binaries located within the main sequence (MS) in theGaiacolour-magnitude diagram. The remaining sources in the sample include cataclysmic variables, blue horizontal branch stars, hot white dwarfs, and MS stars. We derived the mid-plane densityρ₀and scale height h_zfor the non-composite hot subdwarf star population using a hyperbolic sechant profile (sech²). The best-fit values areρ₀= 5.17 ± 0.33 × 10⁻⁷stars pc⁻³and h_z= 281 ± 62 pc. When accounting for the composite-colour hot subdwarfs and their estimated completeness, the mid-plane density increases toρ₀= 6.15_−0.53^+1.16× 10⁻⁷stars pc⁻³. This corrected space density is an order of magnitude lower than predicted by population synthesis studies, supporting previous observational estimates. 

Detailed studies of hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars with red dwarf (dM) or brown dwarf (BD) companions can shed light on the effects of binarity on late stellar evolution. Such systems exhibit a strong, quasi-sinusoidal reflection effect due to irradiation of the cool companion, and some even show primary and secondary eclipses. For this work, we computed Fourier transforms of TESS light curves of sdB+dM/BD binaries and investigate correlations between the relative amplitudes and phases of their harmonics and system parameters. We show that the reflection effect shape strongly depends on the orbital inclination, with nearly face-on systems having much more sinusoidal shapes than nearly edge-on systems. This information is encoded by the relative strength of the first harmonic in the Fourier transform. By comparing observations of solved systems to synthetic light curves generated bylcurve, we find that the inclination of non-eclipsing systems with high signal-to-noise light curves can be determined to within ≈10° simply by measuring their orbital periods and first harmonic strengths. We also discovered a slight asymmetry in the reflection effect shape of sdB+dM/BD binaries using the relative phase of the first harmonic. From our analysis of synthetic light curves, we conclude the asymmetry results from relativistic beaming of both stellar components. This marks the first time Doppler beaming has been detected in sdB+dM/BD systems. Although advanced modeling is necessary to quantify the effects of secondary parameters, such as limb darkening, the temperature ratio, and the radius ratio on the reflection effect shape, our pilot study demonstrates that it might be possible to extract both the inclination angle and cool companion velocity from the light curves of non-eclipsing systems. 

ABSTRACT We conduct a systematic search for periodic variables in the hot subdwarf catalogue using data from the Zwicky Transient Facility. We present the classification of 67 HW Vir binaries, 496 reflection effect, pulsation or rotation sinusoids, 11 eclipsing signals, and 4 ellipsoidally modulated binaries. Of these, 486 are new discoveries that have not been previously published including a new mass-transferring hot subdwarf binary candidate. These sources were determined by applying the Lomb–Scargle and box least squares periodograms along with manual inspection. We calculated variability statistics on all periodic sources, and compared our results to traditional methods of determining astrophysical variability. We find that ≈60 per cent of variable targets, mostly sinusoidal variability, would have been missed using a traditional varindex cut. Most HW Virs, eclipsing systems, and all ellipsoidal variables were recovered with a varindex >0.02. We also find a significant reddening effect, with some variable hot subdwarfs meshing with the main-sequence stripe in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. Examining the positions of the variable stars in Galactic coordinates, we discover a higher proportion of variable stars within |b| < 25° of the Galactic plane, suggesting that the Galactic plane may be fertile grounds for future discoveries if photometric surveys can effectively process the clustered field. 

Abstract We present the results from our ongoing spectroscopic survey targeting low-mass white dwarf binaries, focusing on the southern sky. We used a Gaia DR2- and eDR3-based selection and identified 28 new binaries, including 19 new extremely low-mass (ELM) white dwarfs, one short period, likely eclipsing, DABZ, and two potential LISA binaries. We present the orbital and atmospheric parameters for each new binary based on our spectroscopic follow up. Four of our new binaries show periodic photometric variability in TESS 2 minutes cadence data, including one new eclipsing double-lined spectroscopic binary. Three others show periodic photometric variability in ZTF, including one new eclipsing binary. We provide estimates for the inclinations and scaled component radii for these ZTF variables, based on light-curve modeling of our high-speed photometric follow-up observations. Our observations have increased the sample of ELM Survey binaries identified in the southern sky to 41, an increase of 64%. Future time domain surveys, such as BlackGEM and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, will efficiently identify photometric variables in the southern sky and significantly increase the population of southern sky low-mass white dwarf binaries, leading to a more complete all-sky population of these systems.