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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 August 2017
All periodic variables with stable periods such as pulsating stars, eclipsing binaries and pulsars offer the possibility of detecting unseen companion(s) by means of the light-time effect. We discuss the limitations of the method (the visibility of the effect) for different types of periodic variables. Special attention is paid to the ranges of mass ratios and orbital periods in which unseen companions can be found. We also indicate several systems with light-time effect in which hypothetical companions can be detected by speckle interferometry or precise astrometric observations. In these cases, the detection of the companions may lead to the determination of the components' masses.