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10th of April 2018
The binary millisecond pulsar PSR J2322−2650 -- part 2
Spiewak et al. have reported the discovery of a binary millisecond pulsar (MSP), PSR J2322−2650. The pulsar was found in the Southern section of the High Time Resolution Universe survey undertaken with the Parkes 64m radiotelescope. The binary system contains a 3.5-ms pulsar with a planetary mass companion in a 7.75-hour circular orbit.

Follow-up observations with the Parkes and Lovell telescopes have led to precise measurements of the astrometric and spin parameters, including the period derivative, timing parallax, and proper motion. PSR J2322−2650 has a parallax of 4.4 +/- 1.2 mas, placing it an inferred distance of about 230 parsecs (or 945 light years). This relative closeness made the system a candidate for optical studies, and observations with the Keck Telescope resulted in the detection of a faint (26th magnitude) source at the radio position which is consistent with the blackbody temperature we would expect from the companion if it fills its Roche lobe. The image above is from a (summed) 1500 s observation with the Keck DEIMOS instrument in R-band. The axes indicate the offset from the radio pulsar position, with the black dashed lines denoting zero offset in RA and Dec.

These results are presented in the paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.




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