Two black widow pulsars in the optical and X-rays

Abstract

Context. Two millisecond pulsars, PSR J1513$-$2550 and PSR J2017$-$1614, with spin periods of about 2.1 and 2.3 ms were recently discovered in the radio and $\gamma$-rays and classified as black widow pulsars in tight binary stellar systems with orbital periods of about 4.3 and 2.3 h. Aims. Our goals are to reveal fundamental parameters of both systems and their binary components using multi-wavelength observations. Methods. We carried out the first time-series multi-band optical photometry of the objects with the 2.1-metre telescope of the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional San Pedro Mártir, the 6.5-metre \magel-1 telescope, and the 10.4-metre Gran Telescopio Canarias. To derive the parameters of both systems, we fitted the obtained light curves with a model assuming heating of the companion by the pulsar. We also analysed archival X-ray data obtained with the XMM-Newton observatory. Results. For the first time, we firmly identified J1513$-$2550 in the optical and both pulsars in X-rays. The optical light curves of both systems have a single peak per orbital period with peak-to-peak amplitude of $\gtrsim 2$ magnitudes. The J2017$-$1614 light curves are symmetric, while J1513$-$2550 demonstrates strong asymmetry whose nature remains unclear. Conclusions. We constrained the orbital inclinations, pulsar masses, companion temperatures and masses, as well as the distances to both systems. We also conclude that J2017$-$1614 may contain a massive neutron star of 2.4$\pm$0.6 M${}_{\odot }$. The X-ray spectra of both sources can be fitted by power laws with parameters typical for black widow systems.

9 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in A&A

References in corpus (40)

• Gaia Data Release 2. Summary of the contents and survey properties
• The Gaia mission
• The ATNF Pulsar Catalogue
• A statistical study of 233 pulsar proper motions
• A 3D Dust Map Based on Gaia, Pan-STARRS 1 and 2MASS
• A New Electron Density Model for Estimation of Pulsar and FRB Distances
• The Pan-STARRS1 Photometric System
• The Pan-STARRS1 Database and Data Products
• Incremental Fermi Large Area Telescope Fourth Source Catalog
• The XMM-Newton serendipitous survey IX. The fourth XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue
• An updated mass-radius analysis of the 2017-2018 NICER data set of PSR J0030+0451
• Formation of black widows and redbacks -- two distinct populations of eclipsing binary millisecond pulsars
• The Third Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog of Gamma-ray Pulsars
• PSR J1311-3430: A Heavyweight Neutron Star with a Flyweight Helium Companion
• Probing X-ray Absorption and Optical Extinction in the Interstellar Medium Using Chandra Observations of Supernova Remnants
• PSR J1810+1744: Companion Darkening and a Precise High Neutron Star Mass
• Intra-Binary Shock Heating of Black Widow Companions
• The Radius of PSR J0740+6620 from NICER with NICER Background Estimates
• Optical spectroscopy and demographics of redback millisecond pulsar binaries
• HiPERCAM: a quintuple-beam, high-speed optical imager on the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio Canarias
• The Green Bank North Celestial Cap Pulsar Survey III: 45 New Pulsar Timing Solutions
• Understanding the evolution of close binary systems with radio pulsars
• Atmospheric Circulation on Black Widow Companions
• Discovery of a Gamma-ray Black Widow Pulsar by GPU-accelerated Einstein@Home
• Einstein@Home Discovery of the Gamma-ray Millisecond Pulsar PSR J2039-5617 Confirms Its Predicted Redback Nature
• B-ducted Heating of Black Widow Companions
• Multiband Optical Light Curves of Black-Widow Pulsars
• A New Flaring Black Widow Candidate and Demographics of Black Widow Millisecond Pulsars in the Galactic Field
• The accretion disk in the post period-minimum cataclysmic variable SDSS J080434.20+510349.2
• A black widow population dissection through HiPERCAM multi-band light curve modelling
• Accretion-induced Collapse from Magnetic White Dwarf Binaries and Formation of Binary Millisecond Pulsars: Redbacks and Black Widows
• A multi-wavelength investigation of candidate milli-second pulsars in unassociated $\gamma$-ray sources
• A model for redistributing heat over the surface of irradiated spider companions
• Formation of black widows through ultra-compact X-ray binaries with He star companions
• Heated Poles on the Companion of Redback PSR J2339$-$0533
• Optical detection of the black widow binary PSR J2052+1219
• MHD waves in sunspots
• Optical Light Curve of 4FGL J0935.3+0901: A Flaring Black Widow Candidate
• Peculiarity of the oscillation stratification in sunspot penumbrae
• Nature of 4FGL J1838.2+3223: a flaring `spider' pulsar candidate

Cited by in corpus (2)

• A Mass Transferring Brown Dwarf Binary on a 57 Minute Orbit
• Studying the black widow pulsars PSR J0312$-$0921 and PSR J1627$+$3219 in the optical and X-rays