TY - JOUR
T1 - Missing for 20 yr
T2 - MeerKAT Redetects the Elusive Binary Pulsar M30B
AU - Balakrishnan, Vishnu
AU - Freire, Paulo C.C.
AU - Ransom, S. M.
AU - Ridolfi, Alessandro
AU - Barr, E. D.
AU - Chen, W.
AU - Krishnan, Vivek Venkatraman
AU - Champion, D.
AU - Kramer, M.
AU - Gautam, T.
AU - Padmanabh, Prajwal V.
AU - Men, Yunpeng
AU - Abbate, F.
AU - Stappers, B. W.
AU - Stairs, I.
AU - Keane, E.
AU - Possenti, A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.
PY - 2023/1/1
Y1 - 2023/1/1
N2 - PSR J2140−2311B is a 13 ms pulsar discovered in 2001 in a 7.8 hr Green Bank Telescope observation of the core-collapsed globular cluster M30 and predicted to be in a highly eccentric binary orbit. This pulsar has eluded detection since then; therefore, its precise orbital parameters have remained a mystery until now. In this work, we present the confirmation of this pulsar using observations taken with the UHF receivers of the MeerKAT telescope as part of the TRAPUM Large Survey Project. Taking advantage of the beamforming capability of our backends, we have localized it, placing it 1.′2(1) from the cluster center. Our observations have enabled the determination of its orbit: It is highly eccentric (e = 0.879) with an orbital period of 6.2 days. We also measured the rate of periastron advance, ω ̇ = 0.078 ± 0.002 deg yr − 1 . Assuming that this effect is fully relativistic, general relativity provides an estimate of the total mass of the system, M TOT = 2.53 ± 0.08 M ⊙, consistent with the lightest double neutron star systems known. Combining this with the mass function of the system gives the pulsar and companion masses of m p < 1.43 M ⊙ and m c > 1.10 M ⊙, respectively. The massive, undetected companion could either be a massive white dwarf or a neutron star. M30B likely formed as a result of a secondary exchange encounter.
AB - PSR J2140−2311B is a 13 ms pulsar discovered in 2001 in a 7.8 hr Green Bank Telescope observation of the core-collapsed globular cluster M30 and predicted to be in a highly eccentric binary orbit. This pulsar has eluded detection since then; therefore, its precise orbital parameters have remained a mystery until now. In this work, we present the confirmation of this pulsar using observations taken with the UHF receivers of the MeerKAT telescope as part of the TRAPUM Large Survey Project. Taking advantage of the beamforming capability of our backends, we have localized it, placing it 1.′2(1) from the cluster center. Our observations have enabled the determination of its orbit: It is highly eccentric (e = 0.879) with an orbital period of 6.2 days. We also measured the rate of periastron advance, ω ̇ = 0.078 ± 0.002 deg yr − 1 . Assuming that this effect is fully relativistic, general relativity provides an estimate of the total mass of the system, M TOT = 2.53 ± 0.08 M ⊙, consistent with the lightest double neutron star systems known. Combining this with the mass function of the system gives the pulsar and companion masses of m p < 1.43 M ⊙ and m c > 1.10 M ⊙, respectively. The massive, undetected companion could either be a massive white dwarf or a neutron star. M30B likely formed as a result of a secondary exchange encounter.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146387640&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3847/2041-8213/acae99
DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/acae99
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85146387640
SN - 2041-8205
VL - 942
JO - Astrophysical Journal Letters
JF - Astrophysical Journal Letters
IS - 2
M1 - L35
ER -