The semicentennial binary system PSR J2032+4127 at periastron: X-ray photometry, optical spectroscopy and SPH modelling

Abstract

X-ray photometry and optical spectra are presented covering the periastron passage of the highly-eccentric, ~50 year binary system PSR J2032+4127 in November 2017. This system consists of a 143 ms pulsar in orbit around a massive OB star, MT 91-213. The data show dramatic changes during the encounter as the pulsar wind collided with the stellar wind. The X-ray flux rose on the approach to periastron, then underwent a major dip in the few days around periastron, and then gradually declined over the next few weeks. The optical spectroscopy revealed a steady decline in the H? line strength on the approach to periastron (from an Equivalent Width of -15A to -7A) implying a truncation of the OB star's circumstellar disk by the approaching neutron star. Smooth Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) modelling is used here to model the system within the context of the observed behaviour and predict the geometrical configuration of the circumstellar disk with respect to the pulsar's orbit.

13 pages 14 figures accepted for publication MNRAS

References in corpus (5)

• Multiwavelength monitoring and X-ray brightening of Be X-ray binary PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213 on its approach to periastron
• Modeling the RXTE light curve of $\eta$ Carinae from a 3-D SPH simulation of its binary wind collision
• Swift, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR observations of PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213
• X-ray mapping of the stellar wind in the binary PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213
• Gamma-rays from the binary system containing PSR J2032+4127 during its periastron passage

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Multi-wavelength observations of PSRJ 2032+4127 during the 2017 periastron passage
• Deep search for gamma-ray emission from the accreting X-ray pulsar 1A 0535+262