2013ApJ...763...74L

In a recent study, Armstrong et al. presented an eclipsing binary star of about 6.2 hr period with transit-like tertiary signals occurring every 204.2 days in the Kepler public data of KIC002856960 and proposed three possible hierarchical structures: (AB)b, (AB)C, and A(BC). We analyzed the Kepler light curve by including a third light source and one starspot on each binary component. The results represent that the close eclipsing pair is in a low-mass eccentric-orbit, detached configuration. Based on 123 eclipse timings calculated from the Wilson-Devinney binary model, a period study of the close binary reveals that the orbital period has experienced a sinusoidal variation with a period and a semi-amplitude of 205±2 days and 0.0021±0.0002 days, respectively. The period variation would be produced by the light-travel-time effect due to a gravitationally bound third body with a minimum mass of M₃ sin i₃ = 0.76 M_☉ in an eccentric orbit of e₃= 0.61. This is consistent with the presence of third light found in our light curve solution and the tertiary signal of 204.2 day period most likely arises from the K-type star crossed by the close eclipsing binary. Then, KIC002856960 is a triply eclipsing hierarchical system, A(BC), consisting of a close binary with two M-type dwarfs and a more massive K-type component. The presence of the third star may have played an important role in the formation and evolution of the close pair, which may ultimately evolve into a contact system by angular momentum loss.