Absolute Dimensions of the G7+K7 Eclipsing Binary Star IM Virginis: Discrepancies with Stellar Evolution Models

We report extensive spectroscopic and differential photometric BVRI observations of the active, detached, 1.309-day double-lined eclipsing binary IMVir, composed of a G7-type primary and a K7 secondary.With these observations, we derive accurate absolute masses and radii of M1 = 0.981 + 0.012M, M2 = 0.6644 + 0.0048M, R1 = 1.061 + 0.016R, and R2 = 0.681 + 0.013R for the primary and secondary, with relative errors under 2%. The effective temperatures are 5570 + 100 K and 4250 + 130 K, respectively. The significant difference in mass makes this a favorable case for comparison with stellar evolution theory.We find that both stars are larger than the models predict, by 3.7% for the primary and 7.5% for the secondary, as well as cooler than expected, by 100 K and 150 K, respectively. These discrepancies are in line with previously reported differences in low-mass stars, and are believed to be caused by chromospheric activity, which is not accounted for in current models. The effect is not confined to low-mass stars: the rapidly rotating primary of IM Vir joins the growing list of objects of near-solar mass (but still with convective envelopes) that show similar anomalies. The comparison with the models suggests an age of 2.4 Gyr for the system, and ametallicity of [Fe/H]≈ −0.3 that is consistent with other indications, but requires confirmation.