Self-Lensing Signals in Binary Systems Containing White Dwarfs with Neutron star or Stellar-mass Black hole Companions
Abstract
Light curves from binary systems containing white dwarfs with neutron star or stellar-mass black hole companions (WD+NS and WD+BH) with edge-on orbital planes potentially show self-lensing/eclipsing signals. Here, we evaluate the properties and detectability of these signals in the NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) observations. WD+NS systems with orbital periods days mostly have considerable finite-source sizes with the normalized source radii . WD+BH systems with days have , and for BHs with a few tens solar-mass. Our analytical calculations show the probabilities of occurring self-lensing signals in WD+NS and WD+BH systems are , and maximize for systems with low-mass WDs revolving massive NSs/BHs. We simulate their light curves and generate synthetic data for them by applying the observing protocols of these two satellites. We assume self-lensing signals are detectable if (i) (where days are the Roman and TESS continuous observing windows), (ii) , their signals are (iii) deeper than twice the photometric error, and (iv) covered by at least one datum. Systems with detectable self-lensing signals in the TESS and Roman observations on average have small inclination angles , with the orbital periods days, and their signals last . The TESS and Roman efficiencies for detecting these signals are and . Although detecting these self-lensing signals by Roman is impossible, the TESS telescope potentially manifests at least one self-lensing signal due to these binary systems, if of WDs have NS and BH companions.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2604.12705,
title = {Self-Lensing Signals in Binary Systems Containing White Dwarfs with Neutron star or Stellar-mass Black hole Companions},
author = {Sedighe Sajadian and Man Ho Chan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.12705},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
16 pages, 6 figures