Revealing the nature of long-period transients with space-based gravitational-wave interferometers
arXiv:2505.06125 · doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adfc55
Abstract
A few members of the recently discovered class of long-period transients have been identified as binaries with white-dwarf primaries. In most cases, however, electromagnetic data are inconclusive, and isolated magnetars or compact binaries remain viable. If the pulsation period matches that of the orbit -- as is the case for ILT J1101+5521 and GLEAM-X J0704--37 -- some of these elusive radio transients could be gravitational-wave bright in the mHz band. Space-based interferometers could thus be used to provide independent constraints on their nature. We quantify the signal-to-noise ratio for the known systems under various scenarios and show that a few could be detectable for sufficiently large chirp masses. Astrophysical implications for (non)detections are discussed.
10 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables. Minor changes to match published version
References in corpus (30)
- Untwisting magnetospheres of neutron stars
- A radio pulsing white dwarf binary star
- Coherent Emission Mechanisms in Astrophysical Plasmas
- Discovery of a radio emitting neutron star with an ultra-long spin period of 76 seconds
- A radio transient with unusually slow periodic emission
- The LISA-Taiji network
- Science with the TianQin Observatory: Preliminary results on Galactic double white dwarf binaries
- The origin and evolution of magnetic white dwarfs in close binary stars
- Periodicity in recurrent fast radio bursts and the origin of ultra long period magnetars
- A long-period radio transient active for three decades
- Detecting Double Neutron Stars with LISA
- A comparison of Galactic electron density models using PyGEDM
- An emission state switching radio transient with a 54 minute period
- Evidence for an abundant old population of Galactic ultra long period magnetars and implications for fast radio bursts
- The EBLM Project V. Physical properties of ten fully convective, very-low-mass stars
- On the rate of crustal failures in young magnetars
- Sporadic radio pulses from a white dwarf binary at the orbital period
- The emission of interpulses by a 6.45-hour period coherent radio transient
- Recycled pulsars with multipolar magnetospheres from accretion-induced magnetic burial
- Constraining the nature of the 18-min periodic radio transient GLEAM-X J162759.5-523504.3 via multi-wavelength observations and magneto-thermal simulations
- Spectroscopic Detection of a 2.9-hour Orbit in a Long Period Radio Transient
- A highly magnetized long-period radio transient exhibiting unusual emission features
- A pulsar-helium star compact binary system formed by common envelope evolution
- CHIME/FRB Discovery of an Unusual Circularly Polarized Long-Period Radio Transient with an Accelerating Spin Period
- Unveiling the white dwarf in J191213.72-441045.1 through ultraviolet observations
- Radio detections of two unusual cataclysmic variables in the VLA Sky Survey
- Modelling spin-up episodes in accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars
- Does the gamma-ray binary LS I +61°303 harbor a magnetar?
- A search for electron cyclotron maser emission from compact binaries
- Clues to the origin and properties of magnetic white dwarfs