Infrared spectroscopy of the merger candidate KIC 9832227

Context: It has been predicted that the object KIC 9832227 - a contact binary star - will undergo a merger in 2022.2+/-0.7. We describe the near infrared spectrum of this object as an impetus to obtain pre-merger data. Aims: We aim to characterise (i)~the nature of the individual components of the binary and (ii)~the likely circumbinary environment, so that the merger - if and when it occurs - can be interpreted in an informed manner. Methods: We use infrared spectroscopy in the wavelength range 0.7micron - 2.5microns, to which we fit model atmospheres to represent the individual stars. We use the binary ephemeris to determine the orbital phase at the time of observation. Results: We find that the infrared spectrum is best fitted by a single component having effective temperature 5920K, log[g]=4.1 and solar metallicity, consistent with the fact that the system was observed at conjunction. Conclusions: The strength of the infrared H lines is consistent with a high value of log[g], and the strength of the CaII triplet indicates the presence of a chromosphere, as might be expected from rapid stellar rotation. The HeI absorption we observe likely arises in He excited by coronal activity in a circumstellar envelope, suggesting that the weakness of the CaII triplet is also likely chromospheric in origin.