Variable star identification in the BATC field of M67

We present the result of photometric variability investigation for stars in the field of M67. The old open cluster M67, one of the most studied open clusters, shows the sign of significant main-sequence binary population in its color-magnitude diagrams. Identification of eclipsing binaries and follow-up studies will enable us to study the nature of binary population in most direct manner. We used approximately 350 images from the BATC (Beijing-Arizona-Taipei- Connecticut) data archive to examine variability within one square degree field centered on M67. A total of 18 stars were classified to be real variables. Our new discoveries include seven eclipsing binary systems of which two are likely to be W UMa systems. All of these variables were found using the phase dispersion minimization (PDM) method developed by Shin and Byun[11].