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

Understand

Gaia DR3 provides >181, 000 radial velocity solutions for single-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB1s) which 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 114 systems with good RV solutions in DR3.
• We used light curves from ASAS-SN and TESS to identify and remove 31 eclipsing binaries to produce a catalog of 80 compact object+star candidates, including 38 ellipsoidal variables.
• The positions of these candidates on Gaia and 2MASS CMDs suggest that many of these systems are binaries with luminous companions.