PSR J1723–2837: AN ECLIPSING BINARY RADIO MILLISECOND PULSAR
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Franklin and Marshall College, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604 (United States)
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 (Canada)
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211 (United States)
- Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 (United States)
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany)
- INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, Poggio dei Pini, I-09012 Capoterra (Italy)
- Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States)
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thompson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE (United Kingdom)
- CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Australia Telescope National Facility, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia)
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL (United Kingdom)
We present a study of PSR J1723–2837, an eclipsing, 1.86 ms millisecond binary radio pulsar discovered in the Parkes Multibeam survey. Radio timing indicates that the pulsar has a circular orbit with a 15 hr orbital period, a low-mass companion, and a measurable orbital period derivative. The eclipse fraction of ∼15% during the pulsar's orbit is twice the Roche lobe size inferred for the companion. The timing behavior is significantly affected by unmodeled systematics of astrophysical origin, and higher-order orbital period derivatives are needed in the timing solution to account for these variations. We have identified the pulsar's (non-degenerate) companion using archival ultraviolet, optical, and infrared survey data and new optical photometry. Doppler shifts from optical spectroscopy confirm the star's association with the pulsar and indicate a pulsar-to-companion mass ratio of 3.3 ± 0.5, corresponding to a companion mass range of 0.4 to 0.7 M{sub ☉} and an orbital inclination angle range of between 30° and 41°, assuming a pulsar mass range of 1.4-2.0 M{sub ☉}. Spectroscopy indicates a spectral type of G for the companion and an inferred Roche-lobe-filling distance that is consistent with the distance estimated from radio dispersion. The features of PSR J1723–2837 indicate that it is likely a 'redback' system. Unlike the five other Galactic redbacks discovered to date, PSR J1723–2837 has not been detected as a γ-ray source with Fermi. This may be due to an intrinsic spin-down luminosity that is much smaller than the measured value if the unmeasured contribution from proper motion is large.
- OSTI ID:
- 22270898
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 776, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
EXPLORING THE X-RAY AND γ-RAY PROPERTIES OF THE REDBACK MILLISECOND PULSAR PSR J1723–2837
UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLUTION OF CLOSE BINARY SYSTEMS WITH RADIO PULSARS