A complete sample of wide binaries in the solar neighborhood

A well-defined sample of unambiguously bound wide binaries in the solar neighborhood is presented. The sample appears complete for physical systems where s is greater than 0.32 mpc, M(V) is less than 9.0, pi is 0.040 arcsec or greater, and delta is larger than -12 deg. The sample contains 39 systems...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astronomical journal 1990-12, Vol.100, p.1968-1980
Main Authors: Close, Laird M., Richer, Harvey B., Crabtree, Dennis R.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A well-defined sample of unambiguously bound wide binaries in the solar neighborhood is presented. The sample appears complete for physical systems where s is greater than 0.32 mpc, M(V) is less than 9.0, pi is 0.040 arcsec or greater, and delta is larger than -12 deg. The sample contains 39 systems, of which about 41 percent are hierarchical systems. The distribution of the separations from the sample obeys a simple power law relation. A sharp cutoff in number density is indicated at about 0.1 pc. Based on the sample, number densities for wide binaries are calculated as a function of separation. It appears that about 3 percent of local stars should be members of systems wider than 0.01 pc. (C.D.)
ISSN:0004-6256
DOI:10.1086/115652