A comprehensive study of $\delta$ Scuti-type pulsators in eclipsing binaries: oscillating eclipsing Algols

Abstract

Eclipsing double-lined spectroscopic binaries hosting $\delta$ Scuti-type pulsators offer a unique laboratory for simultaneously constraining stellar geometry and interior structure. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of five oscillating eclipsing Algol binaries. By combining high-precision, short-cadence TESS photometry with multi-epoch high-resolution spectroscopy, we derive precise stellar and orbital parameters. Frequency power spectra were obtained using residuals from binary modelling. We further investigate the evolutionary history of these systems using a grid of MESA binary evolution simulations. Our analysis suggests that the systems must have undergone either case A or case B mass transfer, with the primary components repositioned in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and now pulsating in the $\delta$ Scuti regime, while the cooler secondaries are underluminous and inflated, filling their Roche lobes. This study contributes to the growing catalog of well-characterised oEA systems and our understanding of the effects of mass-transfer on the fate of these short-period binaries.