PSR J1740-3052: a pulsar with a massive companion
Abstract
We report on the discovery of a binary pulsar, PSR J1740-3052, during the Parkes multibeam survey. Timing observations of the 570-ms pulsar at Jodrell Bank and Parkes show that it is young, with a characteristic age of 350kyr, and is in a 231-d, highly eccentric orbit with a companion whose mass exceeds 11Msolar. An accurate position for the pulsar was obtained using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Near-infrared 2.2-μm observations made with the telescopes at the Siding Spring observatory reveal a late-type star coincident with the pulsar position. However, we do not believe that this star is the companion of the pulsar, because a typical star of this spectral type and required mass would extend beyond the orbit of the pulsar. Furthermore, the measured advance of periastron of the pulsar suggests a more compact companion, for example, a main-sequence star with radius only a few times that of the Sun. Such a companion is also more consistent with the small dispersion measure variations seen near periastron. Although we cannot conclusively rule out a black hole companion, we believe that the companion is probably an early B star, making the system similar to the binary PSR J0045-7319.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- August 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04447.x
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0012414
- Bibcode:
- 2001MNRAS.325..979S
- Keywords:
-
- BINARIES: GENERAL;
- STARS: LATE-TYPE;
- STARS: MASS-LOSS;
- PULSARS: GENERAL;
- PULSARS: INDIVIDUAL: PSR J1740-3052;
- X-RAYS: STARS;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 29 pages, 7 figures. Version accepted by MNRAS. Minor changes to text, to one set of calculations and to one figure. Abstract shortened