Burdge, K.B. orcid.org/0000-0002-7226-836X, Marsh, T.R. orcid.org/0000-0002-2498-7589, Fuller, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-4544-0750 et al. (30 more authors) (2022) A 62-minute orbital period black widow binary in a wide hierarchical triple. Nature, 605 (7908). pp. 41-45. ISSN 0028-0836
Abstract
Over a dozen millisecond pulsars are ablating low-mass companions in close binary systems. In the original ‘black widow’, the eight-hour orbital period eclipsing pulsar PSR J1959+2048 (PSR B1957+20)1, high-energy emission originating from the pulsar2 is irradiating and may eventually destroy3 a low-mass companion. These systems are not only physical laboratories that reveal the interesting results of exposing a close companion star to the relativistic energy output of a pulsar, but are also believed to harbour some of the most massive neutron stars4, allowing for robust tests of the neutron star equation of state. Here we report observations of ZTF J1406+1222, a wide hierarchical triple hosting a 62-minute orbital period black widow candidate, the optical flux of which varies by a factor of more than ten. ZTF J1406+1222 pushes the boundaries of evolutionary models5, falling below the 80-minute minimum orbital period of hydrogen-rich systems. The wide tertiary companion is a rare low-metallicity cool subdwarf star, and the system has a Galactic halo orbit consistent with passing near the Galactic Centre, making it a probe of formation channels, neutron star kick physics6 and binary evolution.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Author(s). This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Nature. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Compact astrophysical objects; Time-domain astronomy |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Physics and Astronomy (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number European Research Council 340040 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL ST/V000853/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 23 Nov 2023 09:27 |
Last Modified: | 23 Nov 2023 09:27 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:205571 |