TIC 433545934: The first 2+2 type doubly eclipsing binary with extra, mutual eclipses

Abstract

In this work we identify and photodynamically analyze TIC 433545934, the very first doubly eclipsing 2+2-type quadruple stellar system, which shows outer eclipses, too. One such outer eclipse was discovered with TESS, which triggered a special interest in this system. Most of the data for this study come from TESS observations, but we also obtained supplemental ground-based photometric measurements for this quadruple system. The eclipse timing variation curves extracted from the TESS and ground-based follow-up data, the photometric light curves, and the spectral energy distribution are combined in a complex photodynamical analysis to yield the stellar and orbital parameters of this dynamically interesting system. The periods of the two inner, eclipsing binaries were found to be $P_A=2.07$d and $P_B=1.41$d, while the outer period is $P_{AB}=224.5$d. The outer period alone makes this system the fifth most compact known 2+2-type quadruple. Moreover, what really makes TIC 433545934 unique is that TESS observed a triple-dipped extra eclipsing event when the stars of binary B eclipsed the two components of binary A. We identified similar extra eclipsing events in the archival, ground-based data of ASAS-SN and ATLAS, as well. We found, however, that these extra events occur only once during an outer revolution, that is, binary A does not eclipse the stars of binary B. This is in accord with our finding that the outer eccentricity is quite high, being $e_{AB}=0.62$. Our analysis reveals that binary A consists of two quite similar, but slightly evolved late A-type stars ($q_A=0.92$), while in the case of binary B, the primary star, whose mass is between the masses of the two stars of binary A, is quite dominant, with $q_B=0.60$. The system was found to be substantially flat, with mutual inclination angles below $\approx2\degr$.