Radio Detection of the Fermi-LAT Blind Search Millisecond Pulsar J1311-3430
Abstract
We report the detection of radio emission from PSR J1311-3430, the first millisecond pulsar (MSP) discovered in a blind search of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray data. We detected radio pulsations at 2 GHz, visible for <10% of ~4.5 hr of observations using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). Observations at 5 GHz with the GBT and at several lower frequencies with Parkes, Nançay, and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope resulted in non-detections. We also report the faint detection of a steep spectrum continuum radio source (0.1 mJy at 5 GHz) in interferometric imaging observations with the Jansky Very Large Array. These detections demonstrate that PSR J1311-3430 is not radio quiet and provide additional evidence that radio-quiet MSPs are rare. The radio dispersion measure of 37.8 pc cm-3 provides a distance estimate of 1.4 kpc for the system, yielding a gamma-ray efficiency of 30%, typical of LAT-detected MSPs. We see apparent excess delay in the radio pulses as the pulsar appears from eclipse and we speculate on possible mechanisms for the non-detections of the pulse at other orbital phases and observing frequencies.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- January 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1088/2041-8205/763/1/L13
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1210.6676
- Bibcode:
- 2013ApJ...763L..13R
- Keywords:
-
- pulsars: individual: PSR J1311–3430;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Galaxy Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 4 figures. ApJ Letters, in press