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We report results from a search for Galactic high-mass eclipsing binaries. The photometric monitoring campaign was performed in Sloan r and i with the robotic twin refractor RoBoTT at the Universitätssternwarte Bochum in Chile and complemented by Johnson UBV data. Comparison with the SIMBAD data base reveals 260 variable high-mass stars. Based on well-sampled light curves, we discovered 35 new eclipsing high-mass systems and confirm the properties of six previously known systems. For all objects, we provide the first light curves and determine orbital periods through the Lafler–Kinman algorithm. Apart from GSC 08173-0018 and Pismis 24-13 (⁠|$P = 19.47\, d$| and |$20.14\, d$|⁠) and the exceptional short-period system TYC 6561-1765-1 (⁠|$P = 0.71\, d$|⁠), all systems have orbital periods between 1 and 9 d. We model the light curves of 26 systems within the framework of the Roche geometry and calculate fundamental parameters for each system component. The Roche lobe analysis indicates that 14 systems have a detached geometry, while 12 systems have a semidetached geometry; seven of them are near-contact systems. The deduced mass ratios q  = M 2/ M 1 reach from 0.4 to 1.0 with an average value of 0.8. The similarity of masses suggests that these high-mass binaries were created during the star formation process rather than by tidal capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Our aim is to precisely measure the physical parameters of the eclipsing binary IO Aqr and derive a distance to this system by applying a surface brightness -- colour relation. Our motivation is to combine these parameters with future precise distance determinations from the Gaia space mission to derive precise surface brightness -- colour relations for stars. Methods. We extensively used photometry from the Super-WASP and ASAS projects and precise radial velocities obtained from HARPS and CORALIE high-resolution spectra. We analysed light curves with the code JKTEBOP and radial velocity curves with the Wilson-Devinney program. Results. We found that IO Aqr is a hierarchical triple system consisting of a double-lined short-period (P = 2.37 d) spectroscopic binary and a low-luminosity and low-mass companion star orbiting the binary with a period of ≳25 000 d (≳70 yr) on a very eccentric orbit. We derive high-precision (better than 1%) physical parameters of the inner binary, which is composed of two slightly evolved main-sequence stars (F5 V-IV + F6 V-IV) with masses of M1 = 1.569 ± 0.004 and M2 = 1.655 ± 0.004 M⊙ and radii R1 = 2.19 ± 0.02 and R2 = 2.49 ± 0.02 R⊙. The companion is most probably a late K-type dwarf with mass ≈0.6 M⊙. The distance to the system resulting from applying a () surface brightness -- colour relation is 255 ± 6 (stat.) ± 6 (sys.) pc, which agrees well with the HIPPARCOS value of 270+91-55 pc, but is more precise by a factor of eight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have analyzed the double-lined eclipsing binary system ASAS J180057-2333.8 from the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS) catalogue. We measure absolute physical and orbital parameters for this system based on archival V-band and I-band ASAS photometry, as well as on high-resolution spectroscopic data obtained with ESO 3.6 m/HARPS and CORALIE spectrographs. The physical and orbital parameters of the system were derived with an accuracy of about 0.5-3 per cent. The system is a very rare configuration of two bright welldetached giants of spectral types K1 and K4 and luminosity class II. The radii of the stars are R1 = 52.12 ± 1.38 and R2 = 67.63 ± 1.40 R☉ and their masses are M1 = 4.914 ± 0.021 and M2 = 4.875 ± 0.021 M☉. The exquisite accuracy of 0.5 per cent obtained for the masses of the components is one of the best mass determinations for giants. We derived a precise distance to the system of 2.14 ± 0.06 kpc (stat.) ± 0.05 (syst.) which places the star in the Sagittarius-Carina arm. The Galactic rotational velocity of the star is Θs = 258 ± 26 km s-1 assuming Θ0 = 238 km s-1. A comparison with PARSEC isochrones places the system at the early phase of core helium burning with an age of slightly larger than 100 million years. The effect of overshooting on stellar evolutionary tracks was explored using the MESA star code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The method of distance determination of eclipsing binaries consists in combining the radii of both components determined from spectro-photometric observations with their respective angular diameters derived from the surface brightness-color relation (SBC). However, the largest limitation of the method comes from the uncertainty on the SBC relation: about 2% for late-type stars (or 0.04 magnitude) and more than 10% for early-type stars (or 0.2 mag). Aims. The aim of this work is to improve the SBC relation for early-type stars in the -1 ⩽ V - K ⩽ 0 color domain, using optical interferometry. Methods. Observations of eight B- and A-type stars were secured with the VEGA/CHARA instrument in the visible. The derived uniform disk angular diameters were converted into limb darkened angular diameters and included in a larger sample of 24 stars, already observed by interferometry, in order to derive a revised empirical relation for O, B, A spectral type stars with a V - K color index ranging from -1 to 0. We also took the opportunity to check the consistency of the SBC relation up to V - K ≃ 4 using 100 additional measurements. Results. We determined the uniform disk angular diameter for the eight following stars: γ Ori, ζ Per, 8 Cyg, ι Her, λ Aql, ζ Peg, γ Lyr, and δ Cyg with V - K color ranging from -0.70 to 0.02 and typical precision of about 1.5%. Using our total sample of 132 stars with V - K colors index ranging from about -1 to 4, we provide a revised SBC relation. For late-type stars (0 ⩽ V - K ⩽ 4), the results are consistent with previous studies. For early-type stars (-1 ⩽ V - K ⩽ 0), our new VEGA/CHARA measurements combined with a careful selection of the stars (rejecting stars with environment or stars with a strong variability), allows us to reach an unprecedented precision of about 0.16 magnitude or ≃7% in terms of angular diameter. Conclusions. We derive for the first time a SBC relation for stars between O9 and A3, which provides a new and reliable tool for the distance scale calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a variability study of 4646 massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with known spectral types from the catalog of Bonanos et al. (2010) using the light curves from the OGLE-III database. The goal is to exploit the time domain information available through OGLE-III to gain insight into the processes that govern the evolution of massive stars. This variability survey of massive stars with known spectral types is larger than any previous survey by a factor of 7. We find that 60% of our sample (2766 stars) show no significant variability and 40% (1880 stars) exhibit variability distributed as follows: 807 stars display low-amplitude stochastic variability with fluctuations in the I-band of up to 0.05 mag, 443 stars present irregular variability of higher amplitude (76% of these are reported as variables for the first time), 205 are eclipsing binaries (including 101 newly discovered systems), 50 are candidate rotating variables, 126 are classical Cepheids, 188 stars exhibit short-term sinusoidal periodicity (P < 3 days) making them candidate "slowly pulsating B stars" and non-radial Be pulsators, and 61 periodic stars exhibit longer periods. We demonstrate the wealth of information provided in the time domain, by doubling the number of known massive eclipsing binary systems and identifying 189 new candidate early-type Be and 20 Oe stars in the SMC. In addition, we find that ~80% of Be stars are photometrically variable in the OGLE-III time domain and provide evidence that short-term pulsating stars with additional photometric variability are rotating close to their break-up velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]