Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries Research Articles

VELOcities of CEpheids (VELOCE). II. Systematic search for spectroscopic binary cepheids

Classical Cepheids provide valuable insights into the evolution of stellar multiplicity among intermediate-mass stars. Here, we present a systematic investigation of single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) based on high-precision velocities measured by the VELOcities of CEpheids ( project. We detected ($29<!PCT!>$) SB1 systems among the Milky Way Cepheids in the first data release ($43<!PCT!>$) of which were not previously known to be SB1 systems. We determined 30 precise and tentative orbital solutions ($53<!PCT!>$) of which are reported for the first time. This large set of Cepheid orbits provides a detailed view of the eccentricity $e$ and orbital period distribution among evolved intermediate-mass stars, ranging from $e $ and $\,d. The orbital motion on timescales exceeding the 11 yr baseline was investigated using a template-fitting technique applied to literature data. Particularly interesting objects include a) R Cru, the Cepheid with the shortest orbital period in the Milky Way (sim 238\,d); b) ASAS J103158-5814.7, a short-period overtone Cepheid exhibiting time-dependent pulsation amplitudes as well as orbital motion; and c) 17 triple systems with outer visual companions, among other interesting objects. Most Cepheids (21/23) that exhibit evidence of a companion based on a proper motion anomaly are also spectroscopic binaries, whereas the remaining do not exhibit significant ($> 3 orbital radial velocity variations. quality flags, notably the renormalized unit weight error (RUWE), do not allow Cepheid binaries to be identified reliably although statistically the average RUWE of SB1 Cepheids is slightly higher than that of non-SB1 Cepheids. A comparison with photometric amplitudes in $G-$, $Bp$, and $Rp$ also does not allow one to identify spectroscopic binaries among the full sample, indicating that the photometric amplitudes in this wavelength range are not sufficiently informative of companion stars.

A Sample of Compact Object Candidates in Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries from LAMOST Medium-resolution Survey

The stellar spectra from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) medium-resolution survey can be used to search for compact objects in binaries. The LAMOST Data Release 10 catalog includes >980,000 targets with multiple medium-resolution spectra. We select the targets with large or rapid radial-velocity variation, and obtained an input sample of 1822 sources. We use light curves and spectra to identify and exclude eclipsing binaries and double-lined spectroscopic binaries in the input sample. We finally derive a catalog of 89 candidates with well-folded radial velocity, which are all single-lined spectroscopic binaries, indicating an unseen companion residing in each system. The mass function of each system can be well constrained based on the radial-velocity curve. In our sample, 26 sources have mass function higher than 0.1 M ⊙, among which 18 sources have ellipsoidal-type light curves. In our opinion, compact objects are likely existent in all these 26 binaries, which are worth follow-up identification.

Velocity Dispersion of the Open Cluster NGC 2571 by Radial Velocities and Proper Motions

We use a kernel density estimator method to evaluate the stellar velocity dispersion in the open cluster NGC 2571. We derive the 3D velocity dispersion using both proper motions as extracted from Gaia Data Release 3 and single-epoch radial velocities as obtained with the instrument FLAMES at ESO's Very Large Telescope. The mean-square velocity along the line of sight is found to be larger than the one in the tangential direction by a factor of 6–8. We argue that the most likely explanation for such an occurrence is the presence of a significant quantity of unresolved binary and multiple stars in the radial velocity sample. Special attention should be paid to single-line spectroscopic binaries (SB1) since in this case we observe the spectral lines of the primary component only, and therefore the derived radial velocity is not the velocity of the binary system center of mass. To investigate this scenario, we performed numerical experiments varying the fractional abundance of SB1 in the observed sample. These experiments show that the increase of the mean-square radial velocity depends on the fractional abundance of SB1 to a power in the range [0.39, 0.45]. We used the 3D velocity dispersion obtained by the dispersions in the tangential directions and the assumption that the radial velocity dispersion is the same as a tangential one to estimate the virial cluster mass and the cluster mass, taking into account the gravitational field of the Galaxy and the nonstationarity of the cluster. These estimates are 650 ± 30 M ⊙ and 310 ± 80 M ⊙, respectively, in substantial agreement with the photometric cluster mass.

A hidden population of massive white dwarfs: two spotted K+WD binaries

Abstract The identification and characterization of massive (≳ 0.8 M⊙) white dwarfs is challenging in part due to their low luminosity. Here we present two candidate single-lined spectroscopic binaries, Gaia DR3 4014708864481651840 and 5811237403155163520, with K-dwarf primaries and optically dark companions. Both have orbital periods of P ∼ 0.45 days and show rotational variability, ellipsoidal modulations, and high-amplitude radial velocity variations. Using light curves from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), radial velocities from ground-based spectrographs, and spectral energy distributions, we characterize these binaries to describe the nature of the unseen companion. We find that both systems are consistent with a massive white dwarf companion. Unlike simple ellipsoidal variables, star spots cause the light curve morphology to change between TESS sectors. We attempt to constrain the orbital inclination using PHOEBE binary light curve models, but degeneracies in the light curves of spotted stars prevent a precise determination. Finally, we search for similar objects using Gaia DR3 and TESS, and comment on these systems in the context of recently claimed compact object binaries.

Identifying Quiescent Compact Objects in Massive Galactic Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries

It is now clearly established that massive stars are predominantly found in multiple systems. While their period and eccentricity distributions are now well established across different metallicity regimes, the mass-ratio distribution has been mostly limited to double-lined spectroscopic binaries. The mass-ratio distribution therefore remains subject to significant uncertainties and open questions encompass the shape and extend of the companion mass-function towards its low-mass end and the nature of undetected companions in single-lined spectroscopic binaries, i.e. low-mass main-sequence stars, binary interaction products, compact objects, etc. We have conducted a large and systematic analysis of a sample of more than 80 single-line O-type spectroscopic binaries in the Milky Way and in the Large Magellanic Cloud using a sophisticated multi-technique, and multi-wavelength approach. We report on the developed methodology, the constraints obtained on the nature of SB1 companions, the distribution of O star mass-ratios at LMC metallicity and the occurrence of quiescent OB+black hole binaries.

4FGL J1318.2+6754: A Long Orbital-period Redback Candidate

By combining the Fermi catalog and the single-lined spectroscopic binaries of Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3), we report a new candidate redback millisecond pulsar binary, which is recommended as a target for radio telescopes to detect pulsed signals. Using TESS data in the T band spanning over 4 yr, we find a period of ∼4.13 days, which is consistent with the radial velocity solution of the Gaia DR3 and optical spectroscopy from the LAMOST telescope. The light curve in the T band reveals periodic modulation of low amplitude that is a characteristic feature of the heating of the photosphere of a nondegenerate low-mass stellar companion by the pulsar wind. The nondegenerate companion is a bright (G = 11.96), slightly metal-poor ([Fe/H] = − 0.55), G-type main-sequence star (T eff = 5891 K; R = 1.356R ⊙). This orbital period of 4.13 days would be the longest one for known redback candidates, which could hardly be understood for its formation in the standard recycling scenario due to its large Roche-lobe radius (≫the radius of the G-type main-sequence star). It is proposed here that this candidate redback millisecond pulsar binary could be created via accretion-induced collapse of an oxygen–neon–magnesium white dwarf.

New SB1s with Spectroscopic Orbits from LAMOST-LRS

The LAMOST Low-Resolution Spectroscopic (LAMOST-LRS) Survey provides radial velocities of 10 million stars. These observations can be used to identify new single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) with their preliminary spectroscopic orbits. First, we perform a statistical χ 2 test on a subsample of LAMOST-LRS stars with velocity observations sufficient for the present work to obtain a set of 6852 radial velocity variables. Subsequently, we discard 399 astrophysical variables through crossmatching with variable catalogs, resulting in 1297 SB1 candidates. Finally, in order to reliably identify SB1s among these SB1 candidates, we employ a combination of The joker, rvfit, and Levenberg–Marquardt algorithms to give the best-fit solutions. An SB1 is identified if its orbital solution satisfies the criteria of the goodness-of-fit statistic (F2) < 3.1, the signal significance > 10, and the maximum gap in phase (phase_gap_max) < 0.3. Our final catalog of SB1s contains 255 systems, 168 of which are newly discovered ones. Cross validation results indicate that the determined orbital periods are consistent with periods of external catalogs within 1σ uncertainties. The period–eccentricity diagram illustrates that a majority of short-period binaries have small eccentricities. Furthermore, in comparison to the general sample, the SB1 catalog exhibits a relatively higher ratio of dwarfs than giants and a slightly lower metallicity.

Mass Ratio of Single-line Spectroscopic Binaries with Visual Orbits Using Bayesian Inference and Suitable Priors* *Based in part on observations obtained at the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, which is a joint project of the Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, e Inovaçãoes (MCTI) da República Federativa do Brasil, the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the University of North Carolina at

We present orbital elements for 22 single-line binaries, nine of them studied for the first time, determined from a joint spectroscopic and astrometric solution. The astrometry is based on interferometric measurements obtained with the HRCam Speckle camera on the SOAR 4.1 m telescope at Cerro Pachon, Chile, supplemented with historical data. The spectroscopic observations were secured using Echelle spectrographs (FEROS, FIDEOS, and HARPS) at La Silla, Chile. A comparison of our orbital elements and systemic velocities with previous studies, including Gaia radial velocities, shows the robustness of our estimations. By adopting suitable priors of the trigonometric parallax and spectral type of the primary component, and using a Bayesian inference methodology developed by our group, we were able to estimate mass ratios for these binaries. Combining the present results with a previous study of other single-line binaries from our team, we present a pseudo mass-to-luminosity relationship based on 23 systems (46 stars) in the mass range 0.6 ≤ M ⊙ ≤ 2.5. We find a reasonable correspondence with a fiducial mass-to-luminosity relationship. We conclude that our methodology does allow us to derive tentative mass ratios for these types of binaries.

The ability of CSST to determine the orbital solutions of SB1s

The single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) are composed of two components with large difference in masses and in physical properties. The orbital and physical parameters of a large number of such binary systems are unknown due to lack of necessary observations. Compared with SB2s, SB1s can provide much more stringent constraint to stellar evolutionary models at a single age. Besides, the fainter components of SB1s are likely to be compact celestial objects, such as a black hole or a neutron star, it is therefore interesting to determine their masses and physical properties. CSST provides an excellent opportunity to study SB1s especially nearby ones, since it can detect astrometric wobble at milliarcsecond level. This implies that if the motion of the visible components can be detected, the full motion of the SB1s can be determined. In this paper, we aim to analyse the ability of CSST to improve the orbital solutions of nearby SB1s based on the available data by adding simulated CSST data of different observation times. The orbital solutions of binaries determined from non-single-star orbital models for sources compatible with combined astrometric + single lined spectroscopic orbital model of Gaia DR3 are served as the research sample to reproduce the orbital elements by fitting simulated CSST data.

Searching for compact objects in the single-lined spectroscopic binaries of the young Galactic cluster NGC 6231

Searching for compact objects in the single-lined spectroscopic binaries of the young Galactic cluster NGC 6231

Searching for Compact Object Candidates from LAMOST Time-domain Survey of Four K2 Plates

The time-domain (TD) surveys of the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) yield high-cadence radial velocities, paving a new avenue to study binary systems including compact objects. In this work, we explore LAMOST TD spectroscopic data of four K2 plates and present a sample of six single-lined spectroscopic binaries that may contain compact objects. We conduct analyses using phase-resolved radial velocity measurements of the visible star to characterize each source and to infer the properties of invisible companion. By fitting the radial velocity curves for the six targets, we obtain accurate orbital periods, ranging from ∼(0.6 to 6) days, and radial velocity semiamplitudes, ranging from ∼(50 to 130) km s−1. We calculate the mass function of the unseen companions to be between 0.08 and 0.17 M ⊙. Based on the mass function and the estimated stellar parameters of the visible star, we determine the minimum mass of the hidden star. Three targets—J034813, J063350, and J064850—show ellipsoidal variability in the light curves from K2, ZTF, and TESS surveys. Therefore, we can put constraints on the mass of the invisible star using the ellipsoidal variability. We identify no X-ray counterparts for these targets except for J085120, of which the X-ray emission can be ascribed to stellar activity. We note that the nature of these six candidates is worth further characterization utilizing multiwavelength follow-up observations.

Characterization of Low-mass Companions to Kepler Objects of Interest Observed with APOGEE-N

We report the characterization of 28 low-mass (0.02 M ⊙ ≤ M 2 ≤ 0.25 M ⊙) companions to Kepler objects of interest (KOIs), eight of which were previously designated confirmed planets. These objects were detected as transiting companions to Sunlike stars (G and F dwarfs) by the Kepler mission and are confirmed as single-lined spectroscopic binaries in the current work using the northern multiplexed Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment near-infrared spectrograph (APOGEE-N) as part of the third and fourth Sloan Digital Sky Surveys. We have observed hundreds of KOIs using APOGEE-N and collected a total of 43,175 spectra with a median of 19 visits and a median baseline of ∼1.9 yr per target. We jointly model the Kepler photometry and APOGEE-N radial velocities to derive fundamental parameters for this subset of 28 transiting companions. The radii for most of these low-mass companions are overinflated (by ∼10%) when compared to theoretical models. Tidally locked M dwarfs on short-period orbits show the largest amount of inflation, but inflation is also evident for companions that are well separated from the host star. We demonstrate that APOGEE-N data provide reliable radial velocities when compared to precise high-resolution spectrographs that enable detailed characterization of individual systems and the inference of orbital elements for faint (H > 12) KOIs. The data from the entire APOGEE-KOI program are public and present an opportunity to characterize an extensive subset of the binary population observed by Kepler.

A search for compact object companions to high mass function single-lined spectroscopic binaries in Gaia DR3

ABSTRACT Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) provides &amp;gt;181 000 radial velocity (RV) solutions for single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) that can be used to search for non-interacting compact object + star binary candidates by selecting systems with large mass functions. We selected 234 such systems and identified 115 systems with good RV solutions in DR3. We used light curves from the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to identify and remove 31 eclipsing binaries to produce a catalogue of 80 compact object + star candidates, including 38 ellipsoidal variables. The positions of these candidates on Gaia and Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) suggest that many of these systems are binaries with luminous companions. We compared the periods and eccentricities of detached eclipsing binaries in Gaia DR3 and ASAS-SN, and found that ${\sim }11 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ and ${\sim }60 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the binaries had different periods and eccentricities. We also compared RV solutions for 311 binaries in both Gaia DR3 and the Ninth Catalogue of Spectroscopic Binary Orbits (SB9), and found similar results. We do not identify any strong candidates for non-interacting compact object + star binaries.

The Precise Individual Masses and Theoretical Stability and Habitability of some Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries

Over the past few decades, some Spectroscopic Binaries (SBs) have been resolved using high-resolution techniques. Astrophysics is interested in this subject because we can obtain the mass of each component. By combining a visual solution with a complimentary one, such as the spectroscopic orbit or Edward method, we can determine the individual masses, semimajor axes, magnitudes, spectral types, radii, and temperatures. These provide the most probable physical parameters for some single-lined spectroscopic binaries. Then We can use these parameters to calculate theoretical the stability and habitability of the system. Additionally, we assume the composite spectrum, the apparent global magnitude, and the parallax (generally the Hipparcos, and recently the Gaia ). The next step is to obtain the spectrum for each components. The Edwards method will be used in this case. As soon as we have two spectra foe two single-lined spectroscopic binaries (HIP 754 and HIP 3841), we can determine each mass based on the magnitude difference, ∆m. For selected samples, we calculate the rest of the physical parameters needed to calculate the theoretical stability and habitability.

Gaia spectroscopic orbits validated with LAMOST and GALAH radial velocities

ABSTRACT The recently published Gaia DR3 catalogue of $181\, 327$ spectroscopic binaries (SB) includes the Keplerian elements of each orbit but not the measured radial velocities (RVs) and their epochs. Instead, the catalogue lists a few parameters that characterize the robustness of each solution. In this work, we use two external sources to validate the orbits – $17\, 563$ LAMOST DR6 and $6 018$ GALAH DR3 stars with measured RVs that have Gaia-SB orbits. We compare the expected RVs, based on the Gaia orbits, with the LAMOST and GALAH measurements. Finding some orbits that are inconsistent with these measurements, we constructed a function that estimates the probability of each of the Gaia orbits to be correct, using the published robust parameters. We devise a clean but still very large Gaia single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1) sample of $91\, 740~$ orbits. The sample differs from the parent sample by the absence of – physically unlikely and hence presumably spurious – short-period binaries with high eccentricity. The clean SB1 sample offers the prospect of thorough statistical studies of the binary population after carefully modelling the remaining selection effects. At the first look, two possible features emerge from the clean sample – a paucity of short-period binaries with low-mass primaries, which might be a result of some observational bias, and a subsample of main-sequence binaries on circular orbits, probable evidence for circularization processes.

The radial velocity measurements and improved spectroscopic orbits for 8 single-lined spectroscopic binaries with late type primaries

We carried out high resolution spectrum measurements of binaries with the Coude Echelle Spectrograph (CES) on 1.8 m telescope at Lijiang observatory between 2015 and 2018, and these spectra are aimed to determine the atmospheric parameters and radial velocities of the binaries. Meanwhile, we aimed to distinguish the secondaries of single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s). In this paper, the atmospheric parameters and a time series of radial velocities are given, and the spectroscopic orbital solutions of HIP 443, HIP 2170, HIP 7487, HIP 8086, HIP 17932, HIP 20935, HIP 51157, HIP 80116 are determined by fitting the measured radial velocities and published ones simultaneously. The accuracy of the orbital solutions for the 8 SB1s are improved by adding a few precise data and expending relatively little observation time. The orbital period of these systems are between 72 and 1181 days. These orbital elements will help us have a better understanding of the SB1s, especially via a simultaneous analysis of astrometric data(eg. Gaia and relative position data) in future.

Analysis of high-resolution FEROS spectroscopy for a sample of variable B-type stars assembled from TESS photometry,

Context. Spectroscopic data are necessary to break degeneracies in the asteroseismic modelling of the interior structure in high- and intermediate-mass stars. With the TESS mission, the number of bright intermediate-mass B-type stars with long photometric light curves that are suitable for detailed asteroseismic studies has increased substantially compared to the pre-TESS era. Aims. We derive precise photospheric stellar parameters for a sample of 166 B-type stars with TESS light curves through a homogeneous spectroscopic analysis. The variability types of these sample stars are also classified based on all currently available TESS sectors, and they are ultimately prioritised according to their astrophysical potential. Methods. We obtained high-resolution spectra for all 166 targets with the FEROS spectrograph in the context of a large program. The spectra were reduced with the CERES pipeline, which we adapted to improve the quality of the reduced spectra. These spectra were subsequently analysed with ZETA-PAYNE, a machine-learning-based spectrum analysis algorithm, to infer precise stellar labels for all stars in the sample. Furthermore, the least-squares deconvolution (LSD) method was employed to investigate spectral line profile variability (LPV) and isolate binary systems from presumably single stars. Results. The LSD profile analysis identified 26 spectroscopic double-lined binaries; the remainder of the sample are 42 supergiants in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy and 98 Galactic stars, both with and without apparent LPV. For the Galactic single stars and single-lined spectroscopic binaries, we determine their five main surface parameters: effective temperature (Teff), surface gravity (log g), global metallicity ([M/H]), projected rotational velocity (v sin i), and microturbulent velocity (ξ) with average formal precisions of 70 K, 0.03 dex, 0.07 dex, 8 km s−1, and 0.7 km s−1, respectively. The average internal uncertainties we find for FEROS spectra with our spectrum analysis method are 430 K(Teff), 0.12 dex (log g), 0.13 dex ([M/H]), 12kms−1 (v sin i), and 2 kms−1 (ξ). Conclusions. We find spectroscopic evidence that 8 of the 98 galactic single or SB1 variables are fast-rotating gravity-mode pulsators occurring in between the slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars and δ Scuti instability strips. The g-mode frequencies of these pulsators are shifted to relatively high frequency values due to their rotation, and their apparently too low Teff relative to the SPB instability region can in most cases be explained by the gravity darkening effect. We also discover 13 new HgMn stars in the Galactic sample of which only one is found in a spectroscopic binary, resulting in a biased and therefore unreliable low binary rate of only 8%.

The Tarantula Massive Binary Monitoring

Context. Massive binaries hosting a black hole (OB+BH) represent a critical phase in the production of BH mergers in the context of binary evolution. In spite of this, such systems have so far largely avoided detection. Single-lined spectroscopic (SB1) O-type binaries are ideal objects to search for elusive BH companions. Moreover, SB1 binaries hosting two main sequence stars probe a regime of more extreme mass ratios and longer periods compared to double-lined binaries (SB2), and they are thus valuable for establishing the natal mass ratio distribution of massive stars. Aims. We characterise the hidden companions in 51 SB1 O-type and evolved B-type binaries identified in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) in the framework of the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (VFTS) and its follow-up, the Tarantula Massive Binary Monitoring (TMBM). The binaries cover periods between a few days to years (0 &lt; log P &lt; 3 [d]). Our goals are to hunt for BHs and sample the low-mass end of the mass-ratio distribution. Methods. To uncover the hidden companions, we implemented the shift-and-add grid disentangling algorithm using 32 epochs of spectroscopy acquired in the framework of TMBM with the FLAMES spectrograph, allowing us to detect companions contributing as little as ≈1–2% to the visual flux. We further analysed OGLE photometric data for the presence of eclipses or ellipsoidal variations. Results. Out of the 51 SB1 systems, 43 (84%) are found to have non-degenerate stellar companions, of which 28 are confident detections and 15 are less certain (SB1: or SB2:). Of these 43 targets, one is found to be a triple (VFTS 64), and two are found to be quadruples (VFTS 120, 702). Our sample includes a total of eight eclipsing binaries. The remaining eight targets (16%) retain an SB1 classification. We modelled the mass-ratio distribution as f (q) ∝ qκ, and derived k through a Bayesian approach. We used massratio constraints from previously known SB2 binaries, newly uncovered SB2 binaries, and SB1 binaries, while accounting for binary detection bias. We found k = 0.2 ± 0.2 for the entire sample and κ = −0.2 ± 0.2 when excluding binaries with periods shorter than 10 d. In contrast, k = 1.2 ± 0.5 was retrieved for tight binaries (P &lt; 10 d), and it is proposed here to be a consequence of binary interactions. Aside from the unambiguous O+BH binary VFTS 243, which was analysed in detail in a separate paper, we identified two additional OB+BH candidates: VFTS 514 and 779. Conclusions. Our study firmly establishes a virtually flat natal mass-ratio distribution (κ = 0) for O-type stars at LMC metallicity, covering the entire mass-ratio range (0.05 &lt; q &lt; 1) and periods in the range 0 &lt; log P &lt; 3 [d]. The nature of the OB+BH candidates should be verified through future monitoring, but the frequency of OB+BH candidates is generally in line with recent predictions at LMC metallicity.

Identifying quiescent compact objects in massive Galactic single-lined spectroscopic binaries

Context. The quest to detect dormant stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in massive binaries (i.e. OB+BH systems) is challenging; only a few candidates have been claimed to date, all of which must still be confirmed. Aims. To search for these rare objects, we study 32 Galactic O-type stars that were reported as single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) in the literature. In our sample we include Cyg X-1, which is known to host an accreting stellar-mass BH, and HD 74194, a supergiant fast X-ray transient, in order to validate our methodology. The final goal is to characterise the nature of the unseen companions to determine if they are main-sequence (MS) stars, stripped helium stars, triples, or compact objects such as neutron stars (NSs) or stellar-mass BHs. Methods. After measuring radial velocities and deriving orbital solutions for all the systems in our sample, we performed spectral disentangling to extract putative signatures of faint secondary companions from the composite spectra. We derived stellar parameters for the visible stars and estimated the mass ranges of the secondary stars using the binary mass function. Variability observed in the photometric TESS light curves was also searched for indications of the presence of putative companions, degenerate or not. Results. In 17 of the 32 systems reported as SB1s, we extract secondary signatures, down to mass ratios of ∼0.15. For the 17 newly detected double-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s), we derive physical properties of the individual components and discuss why they have not been detected as such before. Among the remaining systems, we identify nine systems with possible NS or low-mass MS companions. For Cyg X-1 and HD 130298, we are not able to extract any signatures for the companions, and the minimum masses of their companions are estimated to be about 7 M⊙. Our simulations show that secondaries with such a mass should be detectable from our dataset, no matter their nature: MS stars, stripped helium stars or even triples. While this is expected for Cyg X-1, confirming our methodology, our simulations also strongly suggest that HD 130298 could be another candidate to host a stellar-mass BH. Conclusions. The quest to detect dormant stellar-mass BHs in massive binaries is far from over, and many more systems need to be scrutinised. Our analysis allows us to detect good candidates, but confirming the BH nature of their companions will require further dedicated monitorings, sophisticated analysis techniques, and multi-wavelength observations.

What are the spectroscopic binaries with high-mass functions near the Gaia DR3 main sequence?

ABSTRACT The third data release of the Gaia mission includes orbital solutions for &amp;gt;105 single-lined spectroscopic binaries, representing more than an order of magnitude increase in sample size over all previous studies. This data set is a treasure trove for searches for quiescent black hole + normal star binaries. We investigate one population of black hole candidate binaries highlighted in the data release: sources near the main sequence in the colour–magnitude diagram (CMD) with dynamically inferred companion masses M2 larger than the CMD-inferred mass of the luminous star. We model light curves, spectral energy distributions, and archival spectra of the 14 such objects in DR3 with high-significance orbital solutions and inferred $M_2 \gt 3\, {\rm M}_{\odot }$. We find that 100 per cent of these sources are mass-transfer binaries containing a highly stripped lower giant donor (0.2 ≲ M/M⊙ ≲ 0.4) and much more massive (2 ≲ M/M⊙ ≲ 2.5) main-sequence accretor. The Gaia orbital solutions are for the donors, which contribute about half the light in the Gaia RVS bandpass but only $\lesssim 20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in the g band. The accretors’ broad spectral features likely prevented the sources from being classified as double-lined. The donors are all close to Roche lobe filling ($R/R_{\rm Roche\, lobe}\gt 0.8$), but modelling suggests that a majority are detached ($R/R_{\rm Roche\, lobe}\lt 1$). Binary evolution models predict that these systems will soon become detached helium white dwarf + main-sequence ‘EL CVn’ binaries. Our investigation highlights both the power of Gaia data for selecting interesting subpopulations of binaries and the ways in which binary evolution can bamboozle standard CMD-based stellar-mass estimates.