PSR J1641+3627F: a low-mass He white dwarf orbiting a possible high-mass neutron star in the globular cluster M13

Abstract

We report on the discovery of the companion star to the millisecond pulsar J1631+3627F in the globular cluster M13. By means of a combination of optical and near-UV high-resolution observations obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, we identified the counterpart at the radio source position. Its location in the color-magnitude diagrams reveals that the companion star is a faint (V \sim 24.3) He-core white dwarf. We compared the observed companion magnitudes with those predicted by state-of-the-art binary evolution models and found out that it has a mass of 0.23 \pm 0.03 Msun, a radius of 0.033^+0.004_-0.005 Rsun and a surface temperature of 11500^+1900_-1300 K. Combining the companion mass with the pulsar mass function is not enough to determine the orbital inclination and the neutron star mass; however, the last two quantities become correlated: we found that either the system is observed at a low inclination angle, or the neutron star is massive. In fact, assuming that binaries are randomly aligned with respect to the observer line of sight, there is a \sim 70% of probability that this system hosts a neutron star more massive than 1.6 Msun. In fact, the maximum and median mass of the neutron star, corresponding to orbital inclination angles of 90 deg and 60 deg, are M_NS,max = 3.1 \pm 0.6 Msun and M_NS,med = 2.4 \pm 0.5 Msun, respectively. On the other hand, assuming also an empirical neutron star mass probability distribution, we found that this system could host a neutron star with a mass of 1.5 \pm 0.1 Msun if orbiting with a low-inclination angle around 40 deg.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication by ApJ

References in corpus (83)

• Gaia Data Release 2. Summary of the contents and survey properties
• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA)
• Shapiro delay measurement of a two solar mass neutron star
• A Massive Pulsar in a Compact Relativistic Binary
• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Giant Planets, Oscillations, Rotation, and Massive Stars
• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Binaries, Pulsations, and Explosions
• Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA): Convective Boundaries, Element Diffusion, and Massive Star Explosions
• Neutron Star Structure and the Equation of State
• Relativistic Shapiro delay measurements of an extremely massive millisecond pulsar
• A large stellar evolution database for population synthesis studies. I. Scaled solar models and isochrones
• Neutron Star Observations: Prognosis for Equation of State Constraints
• Masses, Radii, and Equation of State of Neutron Stars
• The Equation of State from Observed Masses and Radii of Neutron Stars
• Formation of Double Neutron Star Systems
• Intrinsic iron spread and a new metallicity scale for Globular Clusters
• A large stellar evolution database for population synthesis studies. II. Stellar models and isochrones for an alpha-enhanced metal distribution
• The NANOGrav Nine-year Data Set: Mass and Geometric Measurements of Binary Millisecond Pulsars
• The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. I. Overview and Clusters Without Previous HST Photometry
• The Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. I. Overview of the Project and Detection of Multiple Stellar Populations
• The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. IX. Horizontal Branch Morphology and the Second Parameter Phenomenon
• Swings between rotation and accretion power in a millisecond binary pulsar
• Spectroscopic Analysis of DA White Dwarfs: Stark Broadening of Hydrogen Lines Including Non-Ideal Effects
• The giant, horizontal and asymptotic branches of galactic globular clusters. I. The catalog, photometric observables and features
• emcee v3: A Python ensemble sampling toolkit for affine-invariant MCMC
• Formation of millisecond pulsars with CO white dwarf companions - II. Accretion, spin-up, true ages and comparison to MSPs with He white dwarf companions
• A state change in the missing link binary pulsar system PSR J1023+0038
• Dynamical age differences among coeval star clusters as revealed by blue stragglers
• Astrometry and photometry with HST WFC3. II. Improved geometric-distortion corrections for 10 filters of the UVIS channel
• Two distinct sequences of blue straggler stars in the globular cluster M30
• Models of low-mass helium white dwarfs including gravitational settling, thermal and chemical diffusion, and rotational mixing
• Constraining the Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. I. The Millisecond Pulsar X-ray Data Set
• Measurement of Orbital Decay in the Double Neutron Star Binary PSR B2127+11C
• The relativistic pulsar-white dwarf binary PSR J1738+0333 I. Mass determination and evolutionary history
• Discovery of the Optical Counterparts to Four Energetic Fermi Millisecond Pulsars
• A large stellar evolution database for population synthesis studies: VI. White dwarf cooling sequences
• Long-term observations of the pulsars in 47 Tucanae - II. Proper motions, accelerations and jerks
• LMXB and IMXB Evolution: I. The Binary Radio Pulsar PSR J1614-2230
• Diffusion and the occurrence of hydrogen shell flashes in helium white dwarf stars
• X-ray Variability and Evidence for Pulsations from the Unique Radio Pulsar/X-ray Binary Transition Object FIRST J102347.6+003841
• Formation of millisecond pulsars with CO white dwarf companions - I. PSR J1614-2230: Evidence for a neutron star born massive
• The formation of low-mass helium white dwarfs orbiting pulsars: Evolution of low-mass X-ray binaries below the bifurcation period
• The bright optical companion to the eclipsing millisecond pulsar in NGC 6397
• A 1.4-GHz Arecibo Survey for Pulsars in Globular Clusters
• Multi-periodic pulsations of a stripped red giant star in an eclipsing binary
• Using long-term millisecond pulsar timing to obtain physical characteristics of the bulge globular cluster Terzan 5
• The timescale of low-mass proto-helium white dwarf evolution
• Spin-Down of Radio Millisecond Pulsars at Genesis
• The orthometric parameterisation of the Shapiro delay and an improved test of general relativity with binary pulsars
• The Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters - XV. The dynamical clock: reading cluster dynamical evolution from the segregation level of blue straggler stars
• Perfecting the Photometric Calibration of the ACS CCD Cameras
• Upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope timing of NGC 1851A: a possible millisecond pulsar-neutron star system
• PSR J1738+0333: The First Millisecond Pulsar + Pulsating White Dwarf Binary
• Optical Detection of a Variable Millisecond Pulsar Companion in 47 Tucanae
• Discovery of three new millisecond pulsars in Terzan 5
• The Helium White Dwarf orbiting the Millisecond Pulsar in the halo of the Globular Cluster NGC 6752
• Internal gas models and central black hole in 47 Tucanae using millisecond pulsars
• New Cataclysmic Variables and other Exotic Binaries in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae
• PSR J1012+5307: a millisecond pulsar with an extremely low-mass white dwarf companion
• The optical counterpart to the X-ray transient IGR J18245-2452 in the globular cluster M28
• The optical companion to the binary millisecond pulsar J1824-2452H in the globular cluster M28
• Discovery of the Optical/Ultraviolet/Gamma-ray Counterpart to the Eclipsing Millisecond Pulsar J1816+4510
• The "UV-route" to search for Blue Straggler Stars in Globular Clusters: first results from the HST UV Legacy Survey
• Radio timing and optical photometry of the black widow system PSR J1518+0204C in the globular cluster M5
• Accurate mass ratio and heating effects in the dual-line millisecond binary pulsar in NGC 6397
• Discovery and timing of pulsars in the globular cluster M13 with FAST
• Optical Identification of He White Dwarfs Orbiting Four Millisecond Pulsars in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae
• An eccentric binary millisecond pulsar with a helium white dwarf companion in the Galactic Field
• An extremely low-mass He white dwarf orbiting the millisecond pulsar J1342+2822B in the globular cluster M3
• A puzzling millisecond pulsar companion in NGC 6266
• A Shapiro delay detection in the binary system hosting the millisecond pulsar PSR J1910-5959A
• Dynamical Formation of Cataclysmic Variables in Globular Clusters
• A pulsating white dwarf in an eclipsing binary
• New clues on the nature of the companion to PSR~J1740-5340 in NGC6397 from XSHOOTER spectroscopy
• The Optical Counterpart to the Accreting Millisecond X-ray Pulsar SAX J1748.9-2021 in the Globular Cluster NGC 6440
• Radio Timing and Optical Photometry of the Black Widow System PSR J1953+1846A in the Globular Cluster M71
• Weighing stars: the identification of an Evolved Blue Straggler Star in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae
• Evidence of non-luminous matter in the center of M62
• Exploring the Mass Segregation Effect of X-ray Sources in Globular Clusters: The Case of 47 Tucanae
• The optical companion to the intermediate mass millisecond pulsar J1439-5501 in the Galactic field
• Exploring the Mass Segregation Effect of X-ray Sources in Globular Clusters. II. The Case of Terzan 5
• Identification of the white dwarf companion to millisecond pulsar J2317+1439
• Searching for optical companions to four binary millisecond pulsars with the Gran Telescopio Canarias
• Outliers: multicolour photometry guiding the search for evolved binary systems in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae

Cited by in corpus (26)

• A pulsar in a binary with a compact object in the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes
• FAST Globular Cluster Pulsar Survey: Twenty-Four Pulsars Discovered in Fifteen Globular Clusters
• Digging into the Galactic Bulge: stellar population and structure of the poorly studied cluster NGC 6316
• Expanding the time domain of multiple populations: evidences of nitrogen variations in the ~1.5 Gyr old star cluster NGC 1783
• Slowly cooling white dwarfs in M13 from stable hydrogen burning
• Empirical measurement of the dynamical ages of three globular clusters and some considerations on the use of the dynamical clock
• Two New Black Widow Millisecond Pulsars In M28
• Discovery and Timing of Millisecond Pulsars in the Globular Cluster M5 (NGC 5904) with FAST and Arecibo
• PSR~J1910$-$5959A: A rare gravitational laboratory for testing white dwarf models
• The ESO-VLT MIKiS survey reloaded: exploring the internal kinematics of NGC 6440
• A young white dwarf orbiting PSR J1835-3259B in the bulge globular cluster NGC 6652
• Slowly cooling white dwarfs in NGC 6752
• The structural properties of multiple populations in the dynamically young globular cluster NGC 2419
• Chandra and HST Studies of Six Millisecond Pulsars in the Globular Cluster M13
• A Photometric in-depth look at the core-collapsed globular cluster NGC 6284
• An ongoing tidal capture in the Large Magellanic Cloud: the low-mass star cluster KMK88-10 captured by the massive globular cluster NGC 1835?
• The bulge globular cluster Terzan 6 as seen from multi-conjugate adaptive optics and HST
• Searching for exotic object companions in the dense core of NGC 362: a multi-wavelength and multi-epoch photometric analysis
• Discovery of an extended Horizontal Branch in the Large Magellanic Cloud globular cluster NGC1835
• The "canonical" White Dwarf Cooling Sequence of M5
• On the effect of pulsar evaporation on the cooling of white dwarfs
• Detection of a white dwarf orbiting a Carbon-Oxygen depleted blue straggler in 47 Tucanae
• Identification and characterization of optical companions to the population of millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster M3
• A Massive and Eccentric Binary Millisecond Pulsar in the Globular Cluster M10
• The ESO-VLT MIKiS survey reloaded: velocity dispersion profile and rotation curve of NGC 1904
• Discovery of a double white dwarf in the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6397