New Galactic β Lyrae-type Binaries Showing Superorbital Photometric Cycles

Abstract

Abstract We present the discovery of 32 new double periodic variables (DPVs) located toward the Galactic bulge. We found these objects among the nearly half a million binary stars published by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment project. With this discovery, we increase the number of known DPVs in the Milky Way by a factor of 2. The new set of DPVs contains 31 eclipsing binaries and one ellipsoidal variable star. The orbital periods cover the range from 1.6 to 26 days, while long periods are detected between 47 and 1144 days. Our analysis confirms a known correlation between orbital and long periods that is also observed in similar systems in the Magellanic Clouds.