XMM-Newton Observes the Intrabinary Shock of PSR J1959+2048

Abstract

In a multi-orbit (100 ks) $XMM-Newton$ exposure of the original black widow pulsar, PSR J1959+2048, we measure the strong orbital modulation caused by intrabinary shock (IBS) emission. The IBS light curve peak appears asymmetric, which we attribute to sweep-back effects in the companion wind. We also see evidence for an X-ray eclipse by the companion and its wind. Together with the IBS fit, this supports an edge-on $i\sim 90^{\circ }$ view of the system and a modest $\sim 1.8M_{\odot }$ mass for the recycled pulsar. Our IBS fit parameters imply a wind flux that, if persistent, would evaporated the companion within a few Gyr.

To appear in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (7)

• PSR J1810+1744: Companion Darkening and a Precise High Neutron Star Mass
• The light curve of the companion to PSR B1957+20
• A Spectroscopic Study of the Extreme Black Widow PSR J1311-3430
• The Synchrotron Emission Pattern of IntraBinary Shocks
• 2FGL J1653.6-0159: A New Low in Evaporating Pulsar Binary Periods
• A model for redistributing heat over the surface of irradiated spider companions
• Orbital Modulation of Gamma Rays from PSR~J2339$-$0533

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• Plasma lensing near the eclipses of the Black Widow pulsar B1957+20
• High Energy Emission from the Intrabinary Shocks in Redback Pulsars
• Hydrodynamical simulations of wind interaction in spider systems : A step toward understanding transitional millisecond pulsars
• Very high-energy gamma-ray and neutrino emission from hadronic interaction in compact binary millisecond pulsars
• Global Kinetic Modeling of the Intrabinary Shock in Spider Pulsars