ORDINARY X-RAYS FROM THREE EXTRAORDINARY MILLISECOND PULSARS: XMM-NEWTON OBSERVATIONS OF PSRs J0337+1715, J0636+5129, AND J0645+5158

Journal Article · Sun May 01 04:00:00 EDT 2016 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/822/1/37· OSTI ID:22663077

Spiewak, Renée; Kaplan, David L. ^[1]; Archibald, Anne; Hessels, Jason ^[2]; Gentile, Peter; Lorimer, Duncan; McLaughlin, Maura ^[3]; Lynch, Ryan; Ransom, Scott ^[4]; Stairs, Ingrid ^[5]; Stovall, Kevin ^[6]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States)
2. ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, 7990 AA, Dwingeloo (Netherlands)
3. Department of Physics, West Virginia University, 210E Hodges Hall, Morgantown, WV 26506 (United States)
4. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901 (United States)
5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 (Canada)
6. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 (United States)

We present the first X-ray observations of three recently discovered millisecond pulsars (MSPs) with interesting characteristics: PSR J0337+1715, PSR J0636+5129, and PSR J0645+5158. PSR J0337+1715 is a fast-spinning, bright, and so-far unique MSP in a hierarchical triple system with two white dwarf companions. PSR J0636+5129 is an MSP in a very tight 96-minute orbit with a low-mass, 8 M {sub J} companion. PSR J0645+5158 is a nearby, isolated MSP with a very small duty cycle (1%–2%), which has led to its inclusion in high-precision pulsar timing programs. Using data from XMM-Newton , we have analyzed X-ray spectroscopy for these three objects, as well as optical/ultraviolet photometry for PSR J0337+1715. The X-ray data for each are largely consistent with expectations for most MSPs with regards to the ratios of thermal and non-thermal emission. We discuss the implications of these data on the pulsar population, and prospects for future observations of these pulsars.

• OSTI ID: 22663077
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 822; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ACCURACY
COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES
EMISSION
MASS
ORBITS
PHOTOMETRY
PULSARS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
WHITE DWARF STARS
X RADIATION
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY