Rediscussion Of Eclipsing Binaries. Paper 2: The Eccentric Solar-type System KX Cancri

Abstract

KX Cancri is an eclipsing binary containing two G-type stars with an orbital period of 31.2 d and an eccentricity of 0.47. These qualities make it a promising candidate for a benchmark solar-type binary system. We analyse the first light curve of this system to have complete coverage of both primary and secondary eclipses, obtained using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). We augment these data with published radial velocities and measure the masses to be 1.134 +/- 0.003 Msun and 1.124 +/- 0.005 Msun and the radii to be 1.053 +/- 0.006 Rsun and 1.059 +/- 0.005 Rsun. A ratio of the radii near unity is strongly preferred by the TESS data, in contrast to existing ground-based light curves. The distance to the system measured from the radii and Teff values of the stars agrees well with the trigonometric parallax from the Gaia satellite. The properties of the system are consistent with theoretical predictions for a super-solar metallicity and an age of 1.0 to 1.5 Gyr. A detailed analysis of the photospheric properties of the stars based on high-resolution spectra is encouraged.