IRAS 11472-0800: an extremely depleted pulsating binary post-AGB star

Aims. We focus here on one particular and poorly studied object, IRAS 11472-0800. It is a highly evolved post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) star of spectral type F, with a large infrared excess produced by thermal emission of circumstellar dust. Methods. We deployed a multi-wavelength study that includes the analyses of optical and IR spectra as well as a variability study based on photometric and spectroscopic time-series. Results. The spectral energy distribution (SED) properties as well as the highly processed silicate N-band emission show that the dust in IRAS 11472-0800 is likely trapped in a stable disc. The energetics of the SED and the colour variability show that our viewing angle is close to edge-on and that the optical flux is dominated by scattered light. With photospheric abundances of [Fe/H] = -2.7 and [Sc/H] = -4.2, we discovered that IRAS 11472-0800 is one of the most chemically-depleted objects known to date. Moreover, IRAS 11472-0800 is a pulsating star with a period of 31.16 days and a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.6 mag in V. The radial velocity variability is strongly influenced by the pulsations, but the significant cycle-to-cycle variability is systematic on a longer time scale, which we interpret as evidence for binary motion. Conclusions. We conclude that IRAS 11472-0800 is a pulsating binary star surrounded by a circumbinary disc. The line-of-sight towards the object lies close to the orbital plane, therefore the optical light is dominated by scattered light. IRAS 11472-0800 is one of the most chemically-depleted objects known so far and links the dusty RV Tauri stars to the non-pulsating class of strongly depleted objects.