The orbital periods of aa dor and ny vir

Abstract

New timings of eclipses made between 2000 and 2010 are presented for two binary systems with hot subdwarf primary stars. In the case of AA Dor, an sdOB star with a very cool secondary, the period is found to be constant at a level of about 10−14 d per orbit. In the case of NY Vir, a rapidly pulsating sdBVr with a cool companion, the period is discovered to be decreasing at a rate of −11.2 × 10−13 d per orbit. Close binary stars are particularly useful for the determination of fundamental stellar parameters. Double-lined spectroscopic binaries enable the mass ratio of the binary components to be determined and, if the inclination of the binary orbit can be measured or reasonably constrained (as in the case of an eclipsing system), then the absolute masses can be found. In addition, the light curve of an eclipsing system allows relative stellar radii to be found and even the absolute radii if the system is a double-lined binary.