A photometric study of the recently discovered eclipsing binary V776 Cassiopei

Photoelectric UBV light curves of the recently discovered eclipsing binary V776 Cas were studied for the first time to derive the physical parameters of the system. The light curves were obtained at the TUBITAK National Observatory (TUG) during 8-9 October 2002. Due to the proximity of the visual companion the light curves were contaminated by the third light effect which has a relatively small impact on the system parameters estimation. This effect dominantly changes only the degree of overcontact and orbit inclination. The solutions made by using Djurasevic's inverse-problem method describe the V776 Cas system as a high overcontact configuration (f (over) similar to 41% without, and 55% and 58% with two different values of the third light effect-L-3 = 0.091 and L-3 = 0.136) with a relatively small temperature differences between the components. Because of the large difference in masses of the components (q = m(c)/m(h) = 0.13) these solutions suggest a significant mass and energy transfer from the hotter-more massive primary onto the cooler-less massive secondary through the connecting neck of the common envelope. The obtained orbital inclination (i similar to 53degrees.9 without, and i similar to 55degrees and i similar to 56degrees with two different values of the third light effect-L-3 = 0.091 and L-3 = 0.136) explains the characteristic shape of the light curves with a relatively small amplitude which is due to partial eclipses of the components in both of the photometric minima. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.