A β Cephei pulsator and a changing orbital inclination in the high-mass eclipsing binary system VV Orionis

Abstract

We present an analysis of the high-mass eclipsing binary system VV Ori based on photometry from the TESS satellite. The primary star (B1 V, 9.5 $\, {\rm M}_\odot$) shows β Cephei pulsations and the secondary (B7 V, 3.8 $\, {\rm M}_\odot$) is possibly a slowly pulsating B star. We detect 51 significant oscillation frequencies, including two multiplets with separations equal to the orbital frequency, indicating that the pulsations are tidally perturbed. We analyse the TESS light curve and published radial velocities to determine the physical properties of the system. Both stars are only the second of their pulsation type with a precisely measured mass. The orbital inclination is also currently decreasing, likely due to gravitational interactions with a third body.