V1374 Tau: A Dwarf Eclipsing Binary with Starspots, a Superflare, and a Tertiary Companion
- 1Huaibei Normal University
Abstract
We present a comprehensive study of V1374 Tau, including starspot activity, a superflare, and the light-time effect. We acquired new ground-based photometry, LAMOST low-resolution spectra, and TESS time-series data. From the TESS data in Sectors 71 and 72, the differences between the two light maxima for each cycle are averaged to be Δ m max = −0.046 ± 0.005 mag during the 50 day interval. Using the Wilson–Devinney program, we derived two photometric solutions from LC HJD2461035 and LC BJD2460277 , in which spots migrate and evolve on the surfaces of two components. A superflare was found in TESS data (Sector 72), which was modelled by least-squares fitting and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The flare energy emitted from the M dwarf secondary is estimated to be E flare = 3.2 5 − 0.35 + 0.36 × 1 0 36 erg . From the ( O − C ) analysis, the orbital period may be undergoing a secular decrease with a 5.28 yr cyclic variation. The former may result from mass transfer from the more massive component to the less one, while the latter may be attributed to the light-time effect via the presence of the third body. Mass transfer, tertiary angular momentum extraction, and flare mass loss jointly shrink the orbit, driving the system toward a contact configuration as predicted by the thermal relaxation oscillation theory.
Related
- V405 Draconis: A Deep Contact Binary with a Tertiary Companion and a Quadruple System Candidate
- J060242.22+332452.7: hierarchical triple system with inner eclipsing contact binary
- Neutron star-companion interaction in core-collapse supernovae. Population synthesis based on detailed binary evolution models
- Frequent Optical Flares in an M-type Detached Eclipsing Binary TIC 349005337
- Frequent Optical Flares in an M-type Detached Eclipsing Binary TIC 349005337
BibTeX
@article{yang2026v1374,
title = {{V1374 Tau: A Dwarf Eclipsing Binary with Starspots, a Superflare, and a Tertiary Companion}},
author = {Yuangui Yang and Shuang Wang and Huiyu Yuan},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aea98d},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea98d},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - V1374 Tau: A Dwarf Eclipsing Binary with Starspots, a Superflare, and a Tertiary Companion
AU - Yuangui Yang
AU - Shuang Wang
AU - Huiyu Yuan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - The Astrophysical Journal
DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/aea98d
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea98d
AB - We present a comprehensive study of V1374 Tau, including starspot activity, a superflare, and the light-time effect. We acquired new ground-based photometry, LAMOST low-resolution spectra, and TESS time-series data. From the TESS data in Sectors 71 and 72, the differences between the two light maxima for each cycle are averaged to be Δ m max = −0.046 ± 0.005 mag during the 50 day interval. Using the Wilson–Devinney program, we derived two photometric solutions from LC HJD2461035 and LC BJD2460277 , in which spots migrate and evolve on the surfaces of two components. A superflare was found in TESS data (Sector 72), which was modelled by least-squares fitting and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. The flare energy emitted from the M dwarf secondary is estimated to be E flare = 3.2 5 − 0.35 + 0.36 × 1 0 36 erg . From the ( O − C ) analysis, the orbital period may be undergoing a secular decrease with a 5.28 yr cyclic variation. The former may result from mass transfer from the more massive component to the less one, while the latter may be attributed to the light-time effect via the presence of the third body. Mass transfer, tertiary angular momentum extraction, and flare mass loss jointly shrink the orbit, driving the system toward a contact configuration as predicted by the thermal relaxation oscillation theory.
SN - 1538-4357
SN - 0004-637X
ER -