PSR J1740−3052: a pulsar with a massive companion

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 350 kyr, and is in a 231-d, highly eccentric orbit with a companion whose mass exceeds 11 M_⊙. 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.     

The possible companions of young radio pulsars

We discuss the formation of pulsars with massive companions in eccentric orbits. We demonstrate that the probability for a non-recycled radio pulsar to have a white dwarf as a companion is comparable to that of having an old neutron star as a companion. Special emphasis is given to PSR B1820−11 and PSR B2303+46. Based on population synthesis calculations we argue that PSR B1820−11 and PSR B2303+46 could very well be accompanied by white dwarfs with mass ≳1.1 M_⊙. For PSR B1820−11, however, we cannot exclude the possibility that its companion is a main-sequence star with a mass between ∼0.7 M_⊙ and ∼5 M_⊙.     

The Parkes Multibeam Pulsar Survey: PSR J1811−1736, a pulsar in a highly eccentric binary system

We are undertaking a high-frequency survey of the Galactic plane for radio pulsars, using the 13-element multibeam receiver on the 64-m Parkes radio telescope. We describe briefly the survey system and some of the initial results. PSR J1811−1736, one of the first pulsars discovered with this system, has a rotation period of 104 ms. Subsequent timing observations using the 76-m radio telescope at Jodrell Bank show that it is in an 18.8-d, highly eccentric binary orbit. We have measured the rate of advance of periastron which indicates a total system mass of 2.6±0.9 M_⊙, and the minimum companion mass is about 0.7 M_⊙. This, the high orbital eccentricity and the recycled nature of the pulsar suggest that this system is composed of two neutron stars, only the fourth or fifth such system known in the disc of the Galaxy.     

A timing formula for main-sequence star binary pulsars

In binary radio pulsars with a main-sequence star companion, the spin-induced quadrupole moment of the companion gives rise to a precession of the binary orbit. As a first approximation one can model the secular evolution caused by this classical spin-orbit coupling by linear-in-time changes of the longitude of periastron and the projected semi-major axis of the pulsar orbit. This simple representation of the precession of the orbit neglects two important aspects of the orbital dynamics of a binary pulsar with an oblate companion. First, the quasiperiodic effects along the orbit, owing to the anisotropic 1/ r ³ nature of the quadrupole potential. Secondly, the long-term secular evolution of the binary orbit, which leads to an evolution of the longitude of periastron and the projected semi-major axis, which is non-linear in time.   In this paper a simple timing formula for binary radio pulsars with a main-sequence star companion is presented which models the short-term secular and most of the short-term periodic effects caused by the classical spin-orbit coupling. I also give extensions of the timing formula that account for long-term secular changes in the binary pulsar motion. It is shown that the short-term periodic effects are important for the timing observations of the binary pulsar PSR B1259–63. The long-term secular effects are likely to become important in the next few years of timing observations of the binary pulsar PSR J0045–7319. They could help to restrict or even determine the moments of inertia of the companion star and thus probe its internal structure.   Finally, I reinvestigate the spin-orbit precession of the binary pulsar PSR J0045–7319 since the analysis given in the literature is based on an incorrect expression for the precession of the longitude of periastron. A lower limit of 20° for the inclination of the B star with respect to the orbital plane is derived.     

Characteristics of the supernova remnant G351.7+0.8 and a distance argument against its association with PSR J1721−3532

New images of the supernova remnant (SNR) G351.7+0.8 are presented based on 21-cm H  i -line emission and continuum emission data from the Southern Galactic Plane Survey. SNR G351.7+0.8 has a flux density of 8.4 ± 0.7 Jy at 1420 MHz. Its spectral index is 0.52 ± 0.25 ( S = v ^−α) between 1420 and 843 MHz, typical of adiabatically expanding shell-like remnants. H  i observations show structures possibly associated with the SNR in the radial velocity range of −10 to −18 km s⁻¹, and suggest a distance of 13.2 kpc and a radius of 30.7 pc. The estimated Sedov age for G351.7+0.8 is less than  6.8×10⁴ yr  . A young radio pulsar PSR J1721−3532 lies close to SNR G351.7+0.8 on the sky. The new distance and age of G351.7+0.8 and recent proper motion measurements of the pulsar strongly argue against an association between SNR G351.7+0.8 and PSR J1721−3532. There is an unidentified, faint X-ray point source 1RXS J172055.3−353937 which is close to G351.7+0.8. This may be a neutron star potentially associated with G351.7+0.8.     

Models for the formation of binary and millisecond radio pulsars

The peculiar combination of a relatively short pulse period and a relatively weak surface dipole magnetic field strength of binary radio pulsars finds a consistent explanation in terms of (i) decay of the surface dipole component of neutron-star magnetic fields on a timescale of (2–5) × 10⁶ yr, in combination with (ii) spin-up of the rotation of the neutron star during a subsequent mass-transfer phase. The four known binary radio pulsars appear to fall into two different categories. Two of them, PSR 0655 + 64 and PSR 1913 + 16, have short orbital periods (<25 h) and high mass functions, indicating companion masses 0.7M⊙ (∼1 (± 0.3) M⊙ and 1.4 M⊙, respectively). The other two, PSR 0820 + 02 and PSR 1953 + 29, have long orbital periods (117d), nearly circular orbits, and low, almost identical mass functions of about 3×10^-3 M⊙, suggesting companion masses of about 0.3M⊙. It is pointed out that these two classes of systems are expected to be formed by the later evolution of binaries consisting of a neutron star and a normal companion star, in which the companion was (considerably) more massive than the neutron star, or less massive than the neutron star, respectively. In the first case the companion of the neutron star in the final system will be a massive white dwarf, in a circular orbit, or a neutron star in an eccentric orbit. In the second case the final companion to the neutron star will be a low-mass (∼ 0.3 M⊙) helium white dwarf in a wide and nearly circular orbit. In systems of the second type the neutron star was most probably formed by the accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf. This explains in a natural way why PSR 1953 + 29 has a millisecond rotation period and PSR 0820 + 02 has not. Among the binary models proposed for the formation of the 1.5-millisecond pulsar, the only ones that appear to be viable are those in which the companion disappeared by coalescence with the neutron star. In such models the companion may have been a red dwarf of mass 0.03M⊙, a neutron star, or a massive (>0.7M⊙) white dwarf. Only in the last-mentioned case is a position of the pulsar close to the galactic plane a natural consequence. In the first-mentioned case the progenitor system most probably was a cataclysmic-variable binary in which the white dwarf collapsed by accretion.     

Radio pulsars in Terzan 5

We report on searches of the globular cluster Terzan 5 for low-luminosity and accelerated radio pulsars using the 64-m Parkes radio telescope. One new millisecond pulsar, designated PSR J1748−2446C, was discovered, having a period of 8.44 ms. Timing measurements using the 76-m Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank show that it is a solitary pulsar and lies close to the core of the cluster. We also present the results of timing measurements which show that the longer period pulsar PSR J1748−2444 (formerly known as PSR B1744−24B) lies 10 arcmin from the core of the cluster and is unlikely to be associated with the cluster. We conclude that there are further pulsars to be detected in the cluster.     

Discovery of 10 pulsars in an Arecibo drift-scan survey

We present the results of a 430-MHz survey for pulsars conducted during the upgrade to the 305-m Arecibo radio telescope. Our survey covered a total of 1147 deg² of sky using a drift-scan technique. We detected 33 pulsars, 10 of which were not known prior to the survey observations. The highlight of the new discoveries is PSR J0407+1607, which has a spin period of 25.7 ms, a characteristic age of 1.5 Gyr and is in a 1.8-yr orbit about a low-mass  (>0.2 M_⊙)  companion. The long orbital period and small eccentricity  ( e = 0.0009)  make the binary system an important new addition to the ensemble of binary pulsars suitable to test for violations of the strong equivalence principle. We also report on our initially unsuccessful attempts to detect optically the companion to J0407+1607, which imply that its absolute visual magnitude is >12.1. If, as expected on evolutionary grounds, the companion is an He white dwarf, our non-detection implies a cooling age of least 1 Gyr.     

Searches for Planets Around Neutron Stars

We review the methodology of searches for planet-mass bodies around neutron stars observable as radio pulsars and discuss the current status of these searches. PSR B1257 + 12, a 6.2-millisecond pulsar, remains the only neutron star accompanied by confirmed planets. It is possible that there is a fourth distant planet in the 1257+12 system. The best of the other candidates for pulsar planets under consideration is a distant, possibly Jovian-mass companion to PSR B1620-26, a 11-millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster M4. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Timing models for the long orbital period binary pulsar PSR B1259–63

The pulsar PSR B1259–63 is in a highly eccentric 3.4-yr orbit with the Be star SS 2883. Timing observations of this pulsar, made over a 7-yr period using the Parkes 64-m radio telescope, cover two periastron passages, in 1990 August and 1994 January. The timing data cannot be fitted by the normal pulsar and Keplerian binary parameters. A timing solution including a (non-precessing) Keplerian orbit and timing noise (represented as a polynomial of fifth order in time) provides a satisfactory fit to the data. However, because the Be star probably has a significant quadrupole moment, we prefer to interpret the data by a combination of timing noise, dominated by a cubic phase term, and ω^. and x ^. terms. We show that the ω^. and x ^. terms are likely to be a result of a precessing orbit caused by the quadrupole moment of the tilted companion star. We further rule out a number of possible physical effects which could contribute to the timing data of PSR B1259–63 on a measurable level.     

γ-rays from binary system with energetic pulsar and Be star with aspherical wind: PSR B1259−63/SS2883

At least one massive binary system containing an energetic pulsar, PSR B1259−63/SS2883, has been recently detected in the TeV γ-rays by the HESS telescopes. These γ-rays are likely produced by particles accelerated in the vicinity of the pulsar and/or at the pulsar wind shock, in comptonization of soft radiation from the massive star. However, the process of γ-ray production in such systems can be quite complicated due to the anisotropy of the radiation field, complex structure of the pulsar wind termination shock and possible absorption of produced γ-rays which might initiate leptonic cascades. In this paper, we consider in detail all these effects. We calculate the γ-ray light curves and spectra for different geometries of the binary system PSR B1259−63/SS2883 and compare them with the TeV γ-ray observations. We conclude that the leptonic inverse-Compton model, which takes into account the complex structure of the pulsar wind shock due to the aspherical wind of the massive star, can explain the details of the observed γ-ray light curve.     

Scintillation parameters for 49 pulsars

We report on multi-epoch, multifrequency observations of 64 pulsars with high spectral and time resolution. Scintillation parameters were obtained for 49 pulsars, including 13 millisecond pulsars. Scintillation speeds were derived for all 49, which doubles the number of pulsars with speeds measured in this way. There is excellent agreement between the scintillation speed and proper motion for the millisecond pulsars in our sample using the simple assumption of a mid-placed scattering screen. This indicates that the scaleheight of scattering electrons is similar to that of the dispersing electrons. In addition, we present observations of the Vela pulsar at 14 and 23 GHz, and show that the scintillation bandwidth scales as ν^3.93 over a factor of 100 in observing frequency. We show that for PSR J0742−2822, and perhaps PSR J0837−4135, the Gum nebula is responsible for the high level of turbulence along their lines of sight, contrary to previous indications. There is a significant correlation between the scintillation speeds and the product of the pulsar's period and period derivative for the 'normal' pulsars. However, we believe this to be caused by selection effects both in pulsar detection experiments and in the choice of pulsars used in scintillation studies.     

A deep search for pulsar wind nebulae using pulsar gating

Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) we have imaged the fields around five promising pulsar candidates to search for radio pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). We have used the ATCA in its pulsar-gating mode; this enables an image to be formed containing only off-pulse visibilities, thereby dramatically improving the sensitivity to any underlying PWN. Data from the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope were also used to provide sensitivity on larger spatial scales. This survey found a faint new PWN around PSR B0906−49; here we report on non-detections of PWNe towards PSRs B1046−58, B1055−52, B1610−50 and J1105−6107. Our radio observations of the field around PSR B1055−52 argue against previous claims of an extended X-ray and radio PWN associated with the pulsar. If these pulsars power unseen, compact radio PWNe, upper limits on the radio flux indicate that a fraction of less than 10⁻⁶ of their spin-down energy is used to power this emission. Alternatively, PSRs B1046−58 and B1610−50 may have relativistic winds similar to other young pulsars and the unseen PWN may be resolved and fainter than our surface brightness sensitivity threshold. We can then determine upper limits on the local interstellar medium (ISM) density of 2.2×10⁻³ and 1×10⁻² cm⁻³, respectively. Furthermore, we derive the spatial velocities of these pulsars to be ∼450 km s⁻¹ and thus rule out the association of PSR B1610−50 with supernova remnant (SNR) G332.4+00.1 (Kes 32). Strong limits on the ratio of unpulsed to pulsed emission are also determined for three pulsars.     

Angular momentum alignment of dark matter haloes

In the three years following the discovery of PSR J2051−0827, we have observed a large number of eclipse traverses over a wide frequency range. These data show that the pulsar usually undergoes complete eclipse at frequencies below 1 GHz. At higher frequencies the pulsar is often detected throughout this low-frequency eclipse region with pulse times of arrival being significantly delayed relative to the best-fitting timing model. Variability in the magnitude of the delay is clearly seen and occurs on time-scales shorter than the orbital period. Simultaneous dual frequency observations highlight the difference in the eclipse behaviour for two widely separated frequencies. The low-frequency eclipses are accompanied by a significant decrease in pulsed flux density, while the flux density variations during higher frequency eclipses are not well defined. We consider a number of eclipse mechanisms and find that scattering and cyclotron absorption in the magnetosphere of the companion are consistent with the phenomena presented here.     

Pulsar braking indices revisited

Using the standard equation for the slowdown of a neutron star, we derive a formula for the braking index via integration rather than the conventional differentiation. The new formula negates the need to measure the second time derivative of the rotation frequency, ν¨ . We show that the method gives similar braking indices for PSR B1509−58 and the Crab pulsar to those already in the literature. We point out that our method is useful for obtaining the braking indices of moderate-aged pulsars without the need for long, phase-connected timing solutions. We applied the method to 20 pulsars and discuss the implications of the results. We find that virtually all the derived braking indices are dominated by the effects of (unseen) glitches, the recovery from which corrupts the value of ν˙ . However, any real, large, positive braking index has implications for magnetic field decay and offers support to recent models of pulsar evolution.     

The 1997 periastron passage of the binary pulsar PSR B1259−63

We report here on multifrequency radio observations of the pulsed emission from PSR B1259−63 around the time of the closest approach (periastron) to its B2e companion star. There was a general increase in the dispersion measure (DM) and scatter-broadening of the pulsar, and a decrease in the flux density towards periastron although fluctuation in these parameters were seen on time-scales as short as minutes. The pulsed emission disappeared 16 d prior to periastron and remained undetectable until 16 d after periastron.
The observations are used to determine the parameters of the wind from the Be star. We show that a simple model, in which the wind density varies with radius as r ⁻², provides a good fit to the data. The wind is highly turbulent with an outer scale of ≤10¹⁰ cm and an inner scale perhaps as small as 10⁴ cm, a mean density of ∼10⁶ cm⁻³ and a velocity of ∼2000 km s⁻¹ at a distance of ∼50 stellar radii. We find a correlation between DM variations and the pulse scattering times, suggesting that the same electrons are responsible for both effects.     

Hyperfast pulsars as the remnants of massive stars ejected from young star clusters

Recent proper motion and parallax measurements for the pulsar PSR B1508+55 indicate a transverse velocity of  ∼1100 km s⁻¹  , which exceeds earlier measurements for any neutron star. The spin-down characteristics of PSR B1508+55 are typical for a non-recycled pulsar, which implies that the velocity of the pulsar cannot have originated from the second supernova disruption of a massive binary system. The high velocity of PSR B1508+55 can be accounted for by assuming that it received a kick at birth or that the neutron star was accelerated after its formation in the supernova explosion. We propose an explanation for the origin of hyperfast neutron stars based on the hypothesis that they could be the remnants of a symmetric supernova explosion of a high-velocity massive star which attained its peculiar velocity (similar to that of the pulsar) in the course of a strong dynamical three- or four-body encounter in the core of dense young star cluster. To check this hypothesis, we investigated three dynamical processes involving close encounters between: (i) two hard massive binaries, (ii) a hard binary and an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) and (iii) a single stars and a hard binary IMBH. We find that main-sequence O-type stars cannot be ejected from young massive star clusters with peculiar velocities high enough to explain the origin of hyperfast neutron stars, but lower mass main-sequence stars or the stripped helium cores of massive stars could be accelerated to hypervelocities. Our explanation for the origin of hyperfast pulsars requires a very dense stellar environment of the order of  10⁶– 10⁷ stars pc⁻³  . Although such high densities may exist during the core collapse of young massive star clusters, we caution that they have never been observed.     

Precession of the isolated neutron star PSR B1828−11

Stairs, Lyne & Shemar have found that the arrival-time residuals from PSR B1828−11 vary periodically with a period ≈500 d. This behaviour can be accounted for by precession of the radio pulsar, an interpretation that is reinforced by the detection of variations in its pulse profile on the same time-scale. Here, we model the period residuals from PSR B1828−11 in terms of precession of a triaxial rigid body. We include two contributions to the residuals: (i) the geometric effect, which arises because the times at which the pulsar emission beam points towards the observer varies with precession phase; and (ii) the spin-down contribution, which arises from any dependence of the spin-down torque acting on the pulsar on the angle between its spin     and magnetic     axes. We use the data to probe numerous properties of the pulsar, most notably its shape, and the dependence of its spin-down torque on     , for which we assume the sum of a spin-aligned component (with a weight  1 − a   ) and a dipolar component perpendicular to the magnetic beam axis (weight a ), rather than the vacuum dipole torque  ( a = 1)  . We find that a variety of shapes are consistent with the residuals, with a slight statistical preference for a prolate star. Moreover, a range of torque possibilities fit the data equally well, with no strong preference for the vacuum model. In the case of a prolate star, we find evidence for an angle-dependent spin-down torque. Our results show that the combination of geometrical and spin-down effects associated with precession can account for the principal features of the timing behaviour of PSR B1828−11, without fine tuning of the parameters.     

Hard X-ray observations of PSR J1833−1034 and its associated pulsar wind nebula

PSR J1833−1034 and its associated pulsar wind nebula (PWN) have been investigated in depth through X-ray observations ranging from 0.1 to 200 keV. The low-energy X-ray data from Chandra reveal a complex morphology that is characterized by a bright central plerion, no thermal shell and an extended diffuse halo. The spectral emission from the central plerion softens with radial distance from the pulsar, with the spectral index ranging from  Γ= 1.61  in the central region to  Γ= 2.36  at the edge of the PWN. At higher energy, INTEGRAL detected the source in the 17–200 keV range. The data analysis clearly shows that the main contribution to the spectral emission in the hard X-ray energy range is originated from the PWN, while the pulsar is dominant above 200 keV. Recent High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) observations in the high-energy gamma-ray domain show that PSR J1833−1034 is a bright TeV emitter, with a flux corresponding to ∼2 per cent of the Crab in 1–10 TeV range. In addition, the spectral shape in the TeV energy region matches well with that in the hard X-rays observed by INTEGRAL . Based on these findings, we conclude that the emission from the pulsar and its associated PWN can be described in a scenario where hard X-rays are produced through synchrotron light of electrons with Lorentz factor  γ∼ 10⁹  in a magnetic field of ∼10 μG. In this hypothesis, the TeV emission is due to inverse-Compton interaction of the cooled electrons off the cosmic microwave background photons. Search for PSR J1833−1034 X-ray pulsed emission, via RXTE and Swift X-ray observations, resulted in an upper limit that is about 50 per cent.     

The mass of the neutron star in the binary millisecond pulsar PSR J 1012 + 5307

We have measured the radial velocity variation of the white dwarf secondary in the binary system containing the millisecond pulsar PSR J 1012 + 5307. Combined with the orbital parameters of the radio pulsar, we infer a mass ratio q (≡ M ₁/ M ₂) = 10.5 ± 0.5. Our optical spectroscopy has also allowed us to determine the mass of the white dwarf companion by fitting the spectrum to a grid of DA model atmospheres: we estimate M ₂ = 0.16 ± 0.02 M⊙, and hence the mass of the neutron star is 1.64 ± 0.22 M⊙, where the error is dominated by that of M ₂. The orbital inclination is 52 ± 4°. For an initial neutron star mass of ∼ 1.4 M⊙, only a few tenths of a solar mass at most has been successfully accreted over the lifetime of the progenitor low-mass X-ray binary. If the initial mass of the secondary was ∼ 1 M⊙, our result suggests that the mass transfer may have been non-conservative.