A census of massive eclipsing binaries in the Whirlpool Galaxy

Abstract: We present a census of massive eclipsing binary (EB) candidates in the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), a face-on spiral galaxy at 7.5 Mpc with $Z\sim Z_\odot$. Using 34 epochs of red-optical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry and a single epoch of broadband UV-optical photometry, we identify 173 massive EB candidates ($&gt;5~{\rm M_\odot}$) with orbital periods $P_{\rm orb}$=1-30 days. The sample traces young stellar populations across the spiral arms of M51. Joint light-curve and spectral energy distribution fits for 136 systems yield binaries spanning $T_{\rm eff}=10{,}000$-$50{,}000$ K, $R=7$-$66~{\rm R_\odot}$, and masses of $5$-$120~{\rm M_\odot}$. We use detailed injection-recovery simulations to quantify the survey's completeness and infer intrinsic properties of the massive binary population. At the population level, we infer a close-binary fraction of $f_{\rm close}=27.4\pm7.1\%$ for $2\leq P_{\rm orb}/{\rm d}&lt;20$ and $0.1\leq q\leq1$. Over the same period range, the intrinsic period distribution is consistent with being log-uniform, $${\rm d}N/{\rm d}\log P_{\rm orb}\propto P_{\rm orb}<sup>π$$ with $π=0.29\pm0.32$. These demographics broadly match those of massive-star populations in the Milky Way, LMC, and SMC, with tentative evidence for a lower close-binary fraction at lower metallicity. Across the $\sim0.2$-$1.1~Z_\odot$ range spanned by these galaxies, the overall similarities suggest that the formation of close massive binaries depends only weakly on metallicity. Our survey establishes EBs as a powerful tool for measuring massive-binary demographics beyond the Local Group and provides a rich panchromatic census of $\sim$100,000 luminous stars and variables in M51.