3 The Circumbinary Ring of KH 15 D

The light curves of the pre-main-sequence star KH 15D from 1913–2003 can be understood if the star is a member of an eccentric binary that is encircled by a vertically thin, inclined ring of dusty gas. Eclipses occur whenever the reflex motion of a star carries it into the shadow of the circumbinary ring; the eclipses occur with period equal to the binary orbital period of 48.4 days. Features of the light curve, including the amplitude of central reversals during mid-eclipse, the phase of eclipse with respect to the binary orbit phase, the level of brightness out-of-eclipse, the depth of eclipse, and the eclipse duty cycle—are all modulated on the timescale of nodal regression of the obscuring ring, in accord with the historical data. The ring must have a radius near 3 AU and a radial width that is less than this value. Planetary shepherds may be required to radially confine such a narrow ring. The ring must be vertically warped to maintain a non-zero inclination. Thermal pressure gradients and/or ring self-gravity can readily enforce rigid precession. In coming years, as the node of the ring regresses out of our line-of-sight towards the binary, the light curve from the system should cycle approximately back through its previous behavior. Subject headings: stars: pre-main-sequence — stars: circumstellar matter — stars: individual (KH 15D) — planetary systems — celestial mechanics