1995A&A...301..141M

We present a new spectroscopic orbit for the Algol-type eclipsing binary system HU Tau (HD 29365, P=2.0563 days α(2000.0) = 04 38 15.80, δ= +20 41 05.3, V=5.87-6.8, B8V + G2). We find : m₁ sin³i=4.17±0.09M_☉, m₂ sin³i=1.07±0.025M_☉, (a_p+a_s)sin i=11.8 ±0.1R_☉, m₁/m₂=3.90±0.07. The spectroscopic orbit includes corrections for non-Keplerian effects derived from the solutions of the BV light curves of Ito (1988). We have been able to derive much improved absolute parameters for this system as follows: M₁=4.43±0.09M_☉, M₂=1.14±0.03M_☉, R ₁=2.57±0.03R_☉, R ₂=4.21±0.03R_☉, log(L₁/L_☉)= 2.09±0.15, log(L₂/L_☉)= 0.92±0.05. Comparison of HU Tau with non-conservative case B evolution models of De Greve (1993) suggests that the system evolved from an initial mass ratio ≲0.5. However, the orbital period of HU Tau is more than 3 days shorter than any of the model systems, and the observed secondary luminosity of order 10 times less than a model star of the same mass during the slow mass transfer phase.