Double-lined Spectroscopic Binaries in the APOGEE DR16 and DR17 Data

APOGEE spectra offer less than or similar to 1 km s(-1) precision in the measurement of stellar radial velocities. This holds even when multiple stars are captured in the same spectrum, as happens most commonly with double-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s), although random line-of-sight alignments of unrelated stars can also occur. We develop a code that autonomously identifies SB2s and higher order multiples in the APOGEE spectra, resulting in 7273 candidate SB2s, 813 SB3s, and 19 SB4s. We estimate the mass ratios of binaries, and for a subset of these systems with a sufficient number of measurements we perform a complete orbital fit, confirming that most systems with periods of <10 days have circularized. Overall, we find an SB2 fraction (F (SB2)) similar to 3% among main-sequence dwarfs, and that there is not a significant trend in F (SB2) with temperature of a star. We are also able to recover a higher F (SB2) in sources with lower metallicity, however there are some observational biases. We also examine light curves from TESS to determine which of these spectroscopic binaries are also eclipsing. Such systems, particularly those that are also pre- and post-main sequence, are good candidates for a follow-up analysis to determine their masses and temperatures.

Automated summary

Researchers use APOGEE spectra to automatically identify multiple systems such as double-lined spectroscopic binaries, finding a 3% SB2 fraction among main-sequence dwarfs with some variation in temperature and metallicity. They also determine that some of these systems are eclipsing binaries through light curve analysis.