PALFA discovery of a highly relativistic double neutron star binary

K. Stovall; P. C. C. Freire; S. Chatterjee; P. B. Demorest; D. R. Lorimer; M. A. McLaughlin; N. Pol; J. van Leeuwen; R. S. Wharton; B. Allen; M. Boyce; A. Brazier; K. Caballero; F. Camilo; R. Camuccio; J. M. Cordes; F. Crawford; J. S. Deneva; R. D. Ferdman; J. W. T. Hessels; F. A. Jenet; V. M. Kaspi; B. Knispel; P. Lazarus; R. Lynch; E. Parent; C. Patel; Z. Pleunis; S. M. Ransom; P. Scholz; A. Seymour; X. Siemens; I. H. Stairs; J. Swiggum; W. W. Zhu

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06

PALFA discovery of a highly relativistic double neutron star binary

K. Stovall, P. C. C. Freire, S. Chatterjee, P. B. Demorest, D. R. Lorimer, M. A. McLaughlin, N. Pol, J. van Leeuwen, R. S. Wharton, B. Allen, M. Boyce, A. Brazier, K. Caballero, F. Camilo, R. Camuccio, J. M. Cordes, F. Crawford, J. S. Deneva, R. D. Ferdman, J. W. T. HesselsF. A. Jenet, V. M. Kaspi, B. Knispel, P. Lazarus, R. Lynch, E. Parent, C. Patel, Z. Pleunis, S. M. Ransom, P. Scholz, A. Seymour, X. Siemens, I. H. Stairs, J. Swiggum, W. W. Zhu

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Abstract

We report the discovery and initial follow-up of a double neutron star (DNS) system, PSR J1946+2052, with the Arecibo L-Band Feed Array pulsar (PALFA) survey. PSR J1946+2052 is a 17 ms pulsar in a 1.88 hr, eccentric (e = 0.06) orbit with a gsim1.2 M ⊙ companion. We have used the Jansky Very Large Array to localize PSR J1946+2052 to a precision of 0farcs09 using a new phase binning mode. We have searched multiwavelength catalogs for coincident sources but did not find any counterparts. The improved position enabled a measurement of the spin period derivative of the pulsar ($\dot{P}=9\pm 2\times {10}^{-19}$); the small inferred magnetic field strength at the surface (B S = 4 × 109 G) indicates that this pulsar has been recycled. This and the orbital eccentricity lead to the conclusion that PSR J1946+2052 is in a DNS system. Among all known radio pulsars in DNS systems, PSR J1946+2052 has the shortest orbital period and the shortest estimated merger timescale, 46 Myr; at that time it will display the largest spin effects on gravitational-wave waveforms of any such system discovered to date. We have measured the advance of periastron passage for this system, $\dot{\omega }=25.6\pm 0.3\,\deg \,{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$, implying a total system mass of only 2.50 ± 0.04 M ⊙, so it is among the lowest-mass DNS systems. This total mass measurement combined with the minimum companion mass constrains the pulsar mass to lesssim1.3 M ⊙.

Original language	English
Article number	L22
Number of pages	6
Journal	The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Volume	854
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06
Publication status	Published - 16 Feb 2018

Keywords

pulsars
individual (PSR J1946+2052)

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10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06

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Stovall, K., Freire, P. C. C., Chatterjee, S., Demorest, P. B., Lorimer, D. R., McLaughlin, M. A., Pol, N., van Leeuwen, J., Wharton, R. S., Allen, B., Boyce, M., Brazier, A., Caballero, K., Camilo, F., Camuccio, R., Cordes, J. M., Crawford, F., Deneva, J. S., Ferdman, R. D., ... Zhu, W. W. (2018). PALFA discovery of a highly relativistic double neutron star binary. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 854, [L22]. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06

@article{ee9a88248bc348dabe6ba8dc684c635f,

title = "PALFA discovery of a highly relativistic double neutron star binary",

abstract = "We report the discovery and initial follow-up of a double neutron star (DNS) system, PSR J1946+2052, with the Arecibo L-Band Feed Array pulsar (PALFA) survey. PSR J1946+2052 is a 17 ms pulsar in a 1.88 hr, eccentric (e = 0.06) orbit with a gsim1.2 M ⊙ companion. We have used the Jansky Very Large Array to localize PSR J1946+2052 to a precision of 0farcs09 using a new phase binning mode. We have searched multiwavelength catalogs for coincident sources but did not find any counterparts. The improved position enabled a measurement of the spin period derivative of the pulsar ($\dot{P}=9\pm 2\times {10}^{-19}$); the small inferred magnetic field strength at the surface (B S = 4 × 109 G) indicates that this pulsar has been recycled. This and the orbital eccentricity lead to the conclusion that PSR J1946+2052 is in a DNS system. Among all known radio pulsars in DNS systems, PSR J1946+2052 has the shortest orbital period and the shortest estimated merger timescale, 46 Myr; at that time it will display the largest spin effects on gravitational-wave waveforms of any such system discovered to date. We have measured the advance of periastron passage for this system, $\dot{\omega }=25.6\pm 0.3\,\deg \,{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$, implying a total system mass of only 2.50 ± 0.04 M ⊙, so it is among the lowest-mass DNS systems. This total mass measurement combined with the minimum companion mass constrains the pulsar mass to lesssim1.3 M ⊙.",

keywords = "pulsars, individual (PSR J1946+2052)",

author = "K. Stovall and Freire, {P. C. C.} and S. Chatterjee and Demorest, {P. B.} and Lorimer, {D. R.} and McLaughlin, {M. A.} and N. Pol and {van Leeuwen}, J. and Wharton, {R. S.} and B. Allen and M. Boyce and A. Brazier and K. Caballero and F. Camilo and R. Camuccio and Cordes, {J. M.} and F. Crawford and Deneva, {J. S.} and Ferdman, {R. D.} and Hessels, {J. W. T.} and Jenet, {F. A.} and Kaspi, {V. M.} and B. Knispel and P. Lazarus and R. Lynch and E. Parent and C. Patel and Z. Pleunis and Ransom, {S. M.} and P. Scholz and A. Seymour and X. Siemens and Stairs, {I. H.} and J. Swiggum and Zhu, {W. W.}",

year = "2018",

month = feb,

day = "16",

doi = "10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06",

language = "English",

volume = "854",

journal = "Astrophysical Journal Letters",

issn = "2041-8205",

publisher = "IOP Publishing Ltd",

}

Stovall, K, Freire, PCC, Chatterjee, S, Demorest, PB, Lorimer, DR, McLaughlin, MA, Pol, N, van Leeuwen, J, Wharton, RS, Allen, B, Boyce, M, Brazier, A, Caballero, K, Camilo, F, Camuccio, R, Cordes, JM, Crawford, F, Deneva, JS, Ferdman, RD, Hessels, JWT, Jenet, FA, Kaspi, VM, Knispel, B, Lazarus, P, Lynch, R, Parent, E, Patel, C, Pleunis, Z, Ransom, SM, Scholz, P, Seymour, A, Siemens, X, Stairs, IH, Swiggum, J & Zhu, WW 2018, 'PALFA discovery of a highly relativistic double neutron star binary', The Astrophysical Journal Letters, vol. 854, L22. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06

TY - JOUR

T1 - PALFA discovery of a highly relativistic double neutron star binary

AU - Stovall, K.

AU - Freire, P. C. C.

AU - Chatterjee, S.

AU - Demorest, P. B.

AU - Lorimer, D. R.

AU - McLaughlin, M. A.

AU - Pol, N.

AU - van Leeuwen, J.

AU - Wharton, R. S.

AU - Allen, B.

AU - Boyce, M.

AU - Brazier, A.

AU - Caballero, K.

AU - Camilo, F.

AU - Camuccio, R.

AU - Cordes, J. M.

AU - Crawford, F.

AU - Deneva, J. S.

AU - Ferdman, R. D.

AU - Hessels, J. W. T.

AU - Jenet, F. A.

AU - Kaspi, V. M.

AU - Knispel, B.

AU - Lazarus, P.

AU - Lynch, R.

AU - Parent, E.

AU - Patel, C.

AU - Pleunis, Z.

AU - Ransom, S. M.

AU - Scholz, P.

AU - Seymour, A.

AU - Siemens, X.

AU - Stairs, I. H.

AU - Swiggum, J.

AU - Zhu, W. W.

PY - 2018/2/16

Y1 - 2018/2/16

N2 - We report the discovery and initial follow-up of a double neutron star (DNS) system, PSR J1946+2052, with the Arecibo L-Band Feed Array pulsar (PALFA) survey. PSR J1946+2052 is a 17 ms pulsar in a 1.88 hr, eccentric (e = 0.06) orbit with a gsim1.2 M ⊙ companion. We have used the Jansky Very Large Array to localize PSR J1946+2052 to a precision of 0farcs09 using a new phase binning mode. We have searched multiwavelength catalogs for coincident sources but did not find any counterparts. The improved position enabled a measurement of the spin period derivative of the pulsar ($\dot{P}=9\pm 2\times {10}^{-19}$); the small inferred magnetic field strength at the surface (B S = 4 × 109 G) indicates that this pulsar has been recycled. This and the orbital eccentricity lead to the conclusion that PSR J1946+2052 is in a DNS system. Among all known radio pulsars in DNS systems, PSR J1946+2052 has the shortest orbital period and the shortest estimated merger timescale, 46 Myr; at that time it will display the largest spin effects on gravitational-wave waveforms of any such system discovered to date. We have measured the advance of periastron passage for this system, $\dot{\omega }=25.6\pm 0.3\,\deg \,{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$, implying a total system mass of only 2.50 ± 0.04 M ⊙, so it is among the lowest-mass DNS systems. This total mass measurement combined with the minimum companion mass constrains the pulsar mass to lesssim1.3 M ⊙.

AB - We report the discovery and initial follow-up of a double neutron star (DNS) system, PSR J1946+2052, with the Arecibo L-Band Feed Array pulsar (PALFA) survey. PSR J1946+2052 is a 17 ms pulsar in a 1.88 hr, eccentric (e = 0.06) orbit with a gsim1.2 M ⊙ companion. We have used the Jansky Very Large Array to localize PSR J1946+2052 to a precision of 0farcs09 using a new phase binning mode. We have searched multiwavelength catalogs for coincident sources but did not find any counterparts. The improved position enabled a measurement of the spin period derivative of the pulsar ($\dot{P}=9\pm 2\times {10}^{-19}$); the small inferred magnetic field strength at the surface (B S = 4 × 109 G) indicates that this pulsar has been recycled. This and the orbital eccentricity lead to the conclusion that PSR J1946+2052 is in a DNS system. Among all known radio pulsars in DNS systems, PSR J1946+2052 has the shortest orbital period and the shortest estimated merger timescale, 46 Myr; at that time it will display the largest spin effects on gravitational-wave waveforms of any such system discovered to date. We have measured the advance of periastron passage for this system, $\dot{\omega }=25.6\pm 0.3\,\deg \,{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$, implying a total system mass of only 2.50 ± 0.04 M ⊙, so it is among the lowest-mass DNS systems. This total mass measurement combined with the minimum companion mass constrains the pulsar mass to lesssim1.3 M ⊙.

KW - pulsars

KW - individual (PSR J1946+2052)

U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06

DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/aaad06

M3 - Article

VL - 854

JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters

JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters

SN - 2041-8205

M1 - L22

ER -