A Search for Eclipsing Binary Light Curve Variations Among MACHO Project Light Curves of 3,256 Fundamental-Mode RR Lyrae Variables in the Galactic Bulge

Volume 39 number 2 (2011)

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Michael W. Richmond

Physics Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, 84 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623; mwrsps@rit.edu

Abstract

The MACHO Project collected photometry of many RR Lyrae stars from its observations of the Milky Way’s bulge. We examined the light curves of 3,256 stars identified as RRab Lyr variables by Kunder et al. (2008), subtracting an empirical model of the pulsation light curve and searching for periodic variation in the residuals. There are no systems which show the brief dips in light characteristic of detached eclipsing binary systems. We discuss the results for objects which show the largest residual periodic modulation, most of which are probably due to aliases of the fundamental period.