MWC 314 is a bright candidate luminous blue variable that resides in a fairly close binary system , with an orbital period of 60.753 \pm 0.003 d. We observed MWC 314 with a combination of optical spectroscopy , broad-band ground- and space-based photometry , as well as with long baseline , near-infrared interferometry .
We have revised the single-lined spectroscopic orbit and explored the photometric variability .
The orbital light curve displays two minima each orbit that can be partially explained in terms of the tidal distortion of the primary that occurs around the time of periastron .
The emission lines in the system are often double-peaked and stationary in their kinematics , indicative of a circumbinary disc .
We find that the stellar wind or circumbinary disc is partially resolved in the K ^ { \prime } -band with the longest baselines of the CHARA Array .
From this analysis , we provide a simple , qualitative model in an attempt to explain the observations .
From the assumption of Roche Lobe overflow and tidal synchronisation at periastron , we estimate the component masses to be M _ { 1 } \approx 5 M _ { \odot } and M _ { 2 } \approx 15 M _ { \odot } , which indicates a mass of the LBV that is extremely low .
In addition to the orbital modulation , we discovered two pulsational modes with the MOST satellite .
These modes are easily supported by a low-mass hydrogen-poor star , but can not be easily supported by a star with the parameters of an LBV .
The combination of these results provides evidence that the primary star was likely never a normal LBV , but rather is the product of binary interactions .
As such , this system presents opportunities for studying mass-transfer and binary evolution with many observational techniques .