Observational analysis reveals empirical mass and radius parameters for eleven convective M-dwarf companions, indicating close alignment with standard stellar evolution models.
We present the absolute and orbital parameters of eleven very-low mass stars in eclipsing binaries, featuring F/G/K primaries and M dwarf secondaries, all positioned within the fully convective regime (M* < 0.35 ⊙) and down to the hydrogen burning mass limit (MHB∼0.07 ⊙). They show orbital periods exceeding several days, enabling us to explore the differences between observed and theoretical temperatures and radii. Our analyses, based on high-precision space photometry and enhanced by optical and infrared spectroscopy, yield measurements that closely match stellar evolution models. We suspect a slight systematic inflation in the radii of low-mass stars are likely due to observational errors, when compared to model predictions in the fully convective low-mass regime. The vital role of these results lies in their proof that low-mass eclipsing binaries provide an important chance to determine empirical masses and radii for these stars. In the end, our findings contribute eleven remarkable observations to the mass-radius diagram of fully convective M-dwarfs.
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Ö Çakırlı (2026) studied this question.
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