The blue straggler V106 in NGC 6791 : a prototype progenitor of old single giants masquerading as young

We determine the properties of the binary star V106 in the old open cluster NGC 6791. We identify the system to be a blue straggler cluster member by using a combination of ground-based and Kepler photometry and multi-epoch spectroscopy. The properties of the primary component are found to be M-p similar to 1.67 M-circle dot, more massive than the cluster turn-off, with R-p similar to 1.91 R-circle dot and T-eff = 7110 +/- 100 K. The secondary component is highly oversized and overluminous for its low mass with M-s similar to 0.182 M-circle dot, R-s similar to 0.864 R-circle dot, and T-eff = 6875 +/- 200 K. We identify this secondary star as a bloated (proto) extremely low-mass helium white dwarf. These properties of V106 suggest that it represents a typical Algol-paradox system and that it evolved through a mass-transfer phase, which provides insight into its past evolution. We present a detailed binary stellar evolution model for the formation of V106 using the MESA code and find that the mass-transfer phase only ceased about 40 Myr ago. Due to the short orbital period (P = 1.4463 d), another mass-transfer phase is unavoidable once the current primary star evolves towards the red giant phase. We argue that V106 will evolve through a common-envelope phase within the next 100 Myr and merge to become a single overmassive giant. The high mass will make it appear young for its true age, which is revealed by the cluster properties. Therefore, V106 is potentially a prototype progenitor of old field giants masquerading as young.