A millisecond pulsar candidate in a 21-hr orbit: 3FGL J0212.1+5320

Abstract

We present the discovery of a variable optical counterpart to the unidentified gamma-ray source 3FGL J0212.1+5320, and argue this is a new compact binary millisecond pulsar (MSP) candidate. We show 3FGL J0212.1+5320 hosts a semi-detached binary with a 0.86955$\pm$0.00015 d orbital period and a F6-type companion star at an estimated distance of D=1.1$\pm$0.2 kpc, with a radial velocity curve semi-amplitude K${}_2$=214.1$\pm$5.0 km s${}^{-1}$ and a projected rotational velocity of Vsin(i)=73.2$\pm$1.6 km s${}^{-1}$. We find a hard X-ray source at the same location with a 0.5$-$10 keV luminosity L${}_{\mathrm{X}}$=2.6$\times$10${}^{32}$ (D/1.1 kpc)${}^2$ erg s${}^{-1}$, which strengthens the MSP identification. Our results imply a mass ratio q=M${}_2$/M${}_1$=0.26${}_{-0.03}^{+0.02}$ if the companion star fills its Roche lobe, and q$\gtrsim$0.26 in any case. This classifies 3FGL J0212.1+5320 as a "redback" binary MSP; if its MSP nature is confirmed, this will be the brightest compact binary MSP in the optical band (r'$\simeq$14.3 mag) and will have the longest orbital period among Galactic field systems (nearly 21 hr). Based on the light curve peak-to-peak amplitude ($\Delta$r=0.19 mag), we further suggest that the orbital inclination is high and the putative pulsar mass is close to canonical (M${}_1$$\simeq$1.3$-$1.6 M${}_{\odot }$). Finally, we discuss the lack of heating signatures and asymmetric optical light curves in the context of other redback MSPs.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in MNRAS; 9 pages, 8 figures, minor changes after referee suggestions

References in corpus (34)

• The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE): Mission Description and Initial On-orbit Performance
• Shapiro delay measurement of a two solar mass neutron star
• A Massive Pulsar in a Compact Relativistic Binary
• Intrinsic Colors, Temperatures, and Bolometric Corrections of Pre-Main Sequence Stars
• The u'g'r'i'z' Standard Star Network
• Fermi Large Area Telescope Second Source Catalog
• Fermi Large Area Telescope First Source Catalog
• Achieving better than 1 minute accuracy in the Heliocentric and Barycentric Julian Dates
• A Radio Pulsar Spinning at 716 Hz
• The Second Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog of Gamma-ray Pulsars
• Optical Observations of GRO J1655-40 in Quiescence I: A Precise Mass for the Black Hole Primary
• Evidence for a Massive Neutron Star from a Radial-Velocity Study of the Companion to the Black Widow Pulsar PSR B1957+20
• Discovery of the Optical Counterparts to Four Energetic Fermi Millisecond Pulsars
• PSR J1311-3430: A Heavyweight Neutron Star with a Flyweight Helium Companion
• The Correlation between Dispersion Measure and X-ray Column Density from Radio Pulsars
• A Brown Dwarf Companion for the Accreting Millisecond Pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658
• A Chandra X-ray Observation of the Binary Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1023+0038
• Surrounded by Spiders! New Black Widows and Redbacks in the Galactic Field
• An eclipsing millisecond pulsar with a possible main-sequence companion in NGC 6397
• Classification and Ranking of Fermi LAT Gamma-ray Sources from the 3FGL Catalog using Machine Learning Techniques
• Discovery of Nine Gamma-Ray Pulsars in Fermi-LAT Data Using a New Blind Search Method
• X-ray states of redback millisecond pulsars
• A Metal-Rich Low-Gravity Companion to a Massive Millisecond Pulsar
• PSR J1723-2837: An Eclipsing Binary Radio Millisecond Pulsar
• A Chandra X-ray Observatory Study of PSR J1740--5340 and Candidate Millisecond Pulsars in the Globular Cluster NGC 6397
• 2FGL J1311.7-3429 Joins the Black Widow Club
• Properties and Evolution of the Redback Millisecond Pulsar Binary PSR J2129-0429
• Discovery of an unidentified Fermi object as a black widow-like millisecond pulsar
• Discovery of the millisecond pulsar PSR J2043+1711 in a Fermi source with the Nancay Radio Telescope
• Long-Term Radio Timing Observations of the Transition Millisecond Pulsar PSR~J1023+0038
• Optical Counterparts of Two Fermi Millisecond Pulsars: PSR J1301+0833 and PSR J1628-3205
• Observations and Modeling of the Companions of Short Period Binary Millisecond Pulsars: Evidence for High-Mass Neutron Stars
• The eclipsing millisecond pulsar PSR J1740-5340 and its red straggler companion
• 1FGL J0523.5-2529: A New Probable Gamma-ray Pulsar Binary

Cited by in corpus (19)

• The Third Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog of Gamma-ray Pulsars
• Optical spectroscopy and demographics of redback millisecond pulsar binaries
• Einstein@Home Discovery of the Gamma-ray Millisecond Pulsar PSR J2039-5617 Confirms Its Predicted Redback Nature
• Neutron star mass estimates from gamma-ray eclipses in spider millisecond pulsar binaries
• A Likely Redback Millisecond Pulsar Counterpart of 3FGL J0838.8-2829
• Exploiting Orbital Constraints from Optical Data to Detect Binary Gamma-ray Pulsars
• Properties of the redback millisecond pulsar binary 3FGL J0212.1+5320
• Multi-wavelength observations of a new redback millisecond pulsar candidate: 3FGL J0954.8-3948
• Orbital Dynamics of Candidate Transitional Millisecond Pulsar 3FGL J1544.6-1125: An unusually face-on system
• Multiwavelength Spectral Analysis and Neural Network Classification of Counterparts to 4FGL Unassociated Sources
• A Deep Chandra X-ray Observatory Study of the Millisecond Pulsar Population in the Globular Cluster Terzan 5
• Discovery of a New Redback Millisecond Pulsar Candidate: 4FGL J0940.3-7610
• The MAVERIC Survey: New compact binaries revealed by deep radio continuum observations of the Galactic globular cluster Terzan 5
• The 26.3-hr orbit and multi-wavelength properties of the "redback" millisecond pulsar PSR J1306-40
• Green Bank Telescope Discovery of the Redback Binary Millisecond Pulsar PSR J0212+5321
• Discovery of the variable optical counterpart of the redback pulsar PSR J2055+1545
• Periodicity search for Pulsar Binaries with TESS
• COBIPULSE: A Systematic Search for Compact Binary Millisecond Pulsars
• High Energy Radiation from Spider Pulsars