Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: PSR J1802 − 2124 is a 12.6 ms pulsar in a 16.8 hr binary orbit with a relatively massive white dwarf (WD) companion. These properties make it a member of the intermediate-mass class of binary pulsar (IMBP) systems. We have been timing this pulsar since its discovery in 2002. Concentrated observations at the Green Bank Telescope, augmented with data from the Parkes and Nançay observatories, have allowed us to determine the general relativistic Shapiro delay. This has yielded pulsar and WD mass measurements of 1.24 ± 0.11 M ☉ and 0.78 ± 0.04 M ☉ (68% confidence), respectively. The low mass of the pulsar, the high mass of the WD companion, the short orbital period, and the pulsar spin period may be explained by the system having gone through a common-envelope phase in its evolution. We argue that selection effects may contribute to the relatively small number of known IMBPs.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Authors: R. D. Ferdman, I. H. Stairs, M. Kramer, M. A. McLaughlin, D. R. Lorimer, D. J. Nice, R. N. Manchester, G. Hobbs, A. G. Lyne, F. Camilo, A. Possenti, P. B. Demorest, I. Cognard, G. Desvignes, G. Theureau, A. Faulkner, D. C. Backer
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of British Columbia, Observatoire de Paris, Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environnement et de l’Espace, Observatoire Radioastronomique de Nançay, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia Telescope National Facility, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Manchester, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, West Virginia University, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Bryn Mawr College, Columbia University, Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, National Institute for Astrophysics, Galaxies, Etoiles, Physique et Instrumentation, Université Paris Diderot, University of California, Berkeley
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, California Institute of Technology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Swinburne University of Technology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Observatoire de Paris, Université de Recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Science and Technology Facilities Council
OpenAlex ID: W1997070643