Photometric study of two β Lyr-type binaries: DD Aqr and RR Lep

•Light curves of DD Aqr and RR Lep were solved.•Physical parameters of the components were estimated.•Period changes were analysed and interpreted using possible mechanisms.

This paper presents detailed analysis of photometric observations of two eclipsing binary systems, DD Aqr and RR Lep. The V light curve of the neglected binary star DD Aqr from the All Sky Automated Survey was solved for the first time. The 1982–1987 UBV light curves of RR Lep from Vyas and Abhyankar (1989) were re-analysed. The final solutions give these two β Lyr-type binary stars as having near contact configurations in which the secondary components almost fill their Roche limiting lobes. Using O-C residuals formed by the updated minima times, orbital period changes of the systems were analysed. The O-C diagram of DD Aqr displays a cyclic variation, while that of RR Lep shows a quasi-sinusoidal variation superimposed on a downward parabolic form. The parabolic variation, which suggests a secular orbital period decrease in RR Lep, was interpreted in terms of the combined effect of mass transfer and loss. The cyclic O-C variations were interpreted in terms of the light travel time effect due to unseen components in these two systems. The absolute parameters of the components of the systems were estimated, and their present evolutionary status is also discussed.