Automated Detection of Double-Lined Spectroscopic Binaries in High-Resolution Spectra and a Probabilistic Analysis of Stellar Multiplicity
Abstract
The characterization of Sun-like stars, including determining whether those stars are single or have stellar companions, has become increasingly important for missions seeking planets beyond the Solar System. With upcoming missions like the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) on the horizon, vetting stars for binarity and confirming potential targets as viable is essential precursor science. In this paper, we present an automated algorithm that searches for double-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s) in high-resolution spectra. Using MOLUSC, we simulate realistic stellar populations to quantify the capability of algorithm for detecting stellar companions around nearby stars, with potential applications to HWO target stars and Gaia DR4 planet-host candidates. In addition, we explore how the detection rate is influenced by complementary observations like high-resolution adaptive optics imaging and time-series radial velocities. We find that our SB2 detection algorithm alone can rule out 46.1% of stellar-mass companions. High-resolution adaptive optics alone rules out 79.6% of stellar companions. Radial velocity surveys alone ruled out 98.4% and 98.7% for 5-year and 10-year surveys, respectively. When all three methods are combined, the probability of a typical nearby star having a stellar companion is <1%. The combination of the methods allows us to better understand and resolve target lists for future surveys.
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BibTeX
@misc{salazar2026automated,
title = {{Automated Detection of Double-Lined Spectroscopic Binaries in High-Resolution Spectra and a Probabilistic Analysis of Stellar Multiplicity}},
author = {William B. Salazar and Steven Giacalone and Andrew W. Howard},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.09734},
eprint = {2609.09734},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09734},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Automated Detection of Double-Lined Spectroscopic Binaries in High-Resolution Spectra and a Probabilistic Analysis of Stellar Multiplicity
AU - William B. Salazar
AU - Steven Giacalone
AU - Andrew W. Howard
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/09
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.09734
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09734
AB - The characterization of Sun-like stars, including determining whether those stars are single or have stellar companions, has become increasingly important for missions seeking planets beyond the Solar System. With upcoming missions like the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) on the horizon, vetting stars for binarity and confirming potential targets as viable is essential precursor science. In this paper, we present an automated algorithm that searches for double-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s) in high-resolution spectra. Using MOLUSC, we simulate realistic stellar populations to quantify the capability of algorithm for detecting stellar companions around nearby stars, with potential applications to HWO target stars and Gaia DR4 planet-host candidates. In addition, we explore how the detection rate is influenced by complementary observations like high-resolution adaptive optics imaging and time-series radial velocities. We find that our SB2 detection algorithm alone can rule out 46.1% of stellar-mass companions. High-resolution adaptive optics alone rules out 79.6% of stellar companions. Radial velocity surveys alone ruled out 98.4% and 98.7% for 5-year and 10-year surveys, respectively. When all three methods are combined, the probability of a typical nearby star having a stellar companion is <1%. The combination of the methods allows us to better understand and resolve target lists for future surveys.
ER -