The reason for the occurrence of W-type contact binaries
Fuente:
arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2026
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | |
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| _version_ | 1866914272460668928 |
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| author | Zhang, Jia Qian, Sheng-Bang Zhu, Li-Ying Li, Xu-Zhi |
| author_facet | Zhang, Jia Qian, Sheng-Bang Zhu, Li-Ying Li, Xu-Zhi |
| contents | For more than half a century, the puzzling W-type phenomenon in contact binaries has challenged astrophysicists. In these systems, the less massive component exhibits a higher surface temperature than its more massive companion, which is a reversal of the typical A-type configuration, where the more massive star is hotter. This counterintuitive temperature inversion defies the basic stellar physics and still lacks a widely accepted explanation. In this study, we assembled a sample of over 3,000 extensively observed contact binaries and derived their complete set of physical parameters. Our statistical analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between the occurrence of W-type contact binaries and the intensity and frequency of magnetic activities. This result strongly supports the hypothesis that magnetic activities are the primary driver of the W-type phenomenon and offers a compelling explanation for the observed transitions between the W-type and A-type. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_15672 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The reason for the occurrence of W-type contact binaries Zhang, Jia Qian, Sheng-Bang Zhu, Li-Ying Li, Xu-Zhi Solar and Stellar Astrophysics For more than half a century, the puzzling W-type phenomenon in contact binaries has challenged astrophysicists. In these systems, the less massive component exhibits a higher surface temperature than its more massive companion, which is a reversal of the typical A-type configuration, where the more massive star is hotter. This counterintuitive temperature inversion defies the basic stellar physics and still lacks a widely accepted explanation. In this study, we assembled a sample of over 3,000 extensively observed contact binaries and derived their complete set of physical parameters. Our statistical analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between the occurrence of W-type contact binaries and the intensity and frequency of magnetic activities. This result strongly supports the hypothesis that magnetic activities are the primary driver of the W-type phenomenon and offers a compelling explanation for the observed transitions between the W-type and A-type. |
| title | The reason for the occurrence of W-type contact binaries |
| topic | Solar and Stellar Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.15672 |