Studies of the Relativistic Binary Pulsar PSR B1534+12. II. Origin and Evolution

Abstract

We have recently measured the angle between the spin and orbital angular momenta of PSR B1534+12 to be either 25+/-4 deg or 155+/-4 deg. This misalignment was almost certainly caused by an asymmetry in the supernova explosion that formed its companion neutron star. Here we combine the misalignment measurement with measurements of the pulsar and companion masses, the orbital elements, proper motion, and interstellar scintillation. We show that the orbit of the binary in the Galaxy is inconsistent with a velocity kick large enough to produce a nearly antialigned spin axis, so the true misalignment must be ~25 deg. Similar arguments lead to bounds on the mass of the companion star immediately before its supernova: 3+/-1 Msun. The result is a coherent scenario for the formation of the observed binary. After the first supernova explosion, the neutron star that would eventually become the observed pulsar was in a Be/X-ray type binary system with a companion of at least 10--12 Msun. During hydrogen (or possibly helium) shell burning, mass transfer occurred in a common envelope phase, leaving the neutron star in a roughly half-day orbit with a helium star with mass above ~3.3 Msun. A second phase of mass transfer was then initiated by Roche lobe overflow during shell helium burning, further reducing both the helium star mass and orbital period before the second supernova. Scenarios that avoid Roche lobe overflow by the helium star require larger helium star masses and predict space velocities inconsistent with our measurements. The companion neutron star experienced a velocity kick of 230+/-60 km/s at birth, leading to a systemic kick to the binary of 180+/-60 km/s.

9 pages, submitted to ApJ. Abstract shortened. Version with high-resolution figures available at http://www.astro.ubc.ca/people/stairs/papers/tds04_orig.ps.gz

References in corpus (23)

• A Double-Pulsar System - A Rare Laboratory for Relativistic Gravity and Plasma Physics
• Neutron Star Mass Measurements. I. Radio Pulsars
• The Disruption of the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy.
• Orbital Characteristics of Binary Systems after Asymmetric Supernova Explosions
• Analysis of LIGO data for gravitational waves from binary neutron stars
• Studies of the Relativistic Binary Pulsar PSR B1534+12: I. Timing Analysis
• Neutron Star Population Dynamics.I: Millisecond Pulsars
• The evolution of naked helium stars with a neutron-star companion in close binary systems
• The late stages of evolution of helium star-neutron star binaries and the formation of double neutron star systems
• The Role of Helium Stars in the Formation of Double Neutron Stars
• Double Neutron Star Systems and Natal Neutron Star Kicks
• Measurement of gravitational spin-orbit coupling in a binary pulsar system
• Proper-Motion Measurements with the VLA. II. Observations of Twenty-eight Pulsars
• Constraints on Supernova Kicks from the Double Neutron Star System PSR B1913+16
• Pulsar Spin-up, Kinematics, and the Birthrate of Neutron Star Binaries
• Infrared spectroscopic variability of Cygnus X-3 in outburst and quiescence
• Pulsar Kicks and Spin Tilts in the Close Double Neutron Stars PSR J0737-3039, PSR B1534+12 and PSR B1913+16
• Green Bank Telescope Measurement of the Systemic Velocity of the Double Pulsar Binary J0737-3039 and Implications for its Formation
• Constraints on the Formation of PSR J0737-3039: the most probable isotropic kick magnitude
• Searching for Gravitational Waves from the Inspiral of Precessing Binary Systems: Problems with Current Waveforms
• Orientations of Spin and Magnetic Dipole Axes of Pulsars in the J0737--3039 Binary Based on Polarimetry Observations at the Green Bank Telescope
• Interstellar Scintillation Velocities of a Relativistic Binary PSR B1534+12 and Three Other Millisecond Pulsars
• The Evolution of Relativistic Binary Progenitor Systems

Cited by in corpus (25)

• Birth and Evolution of Isolated Radio Pulsars
• Timing Measurements of the Relativistic Binary Pulsar PSR B1913+16
• Stellar remnants in galactic nuclei: mass segregation
• Evidence for alignment of the rotation and velocity vectors in pulsars
• Neutron Star Mergers as sites of r-process Nucleosynthesis and Short Gamma-Ray Bursts
• Formation of Double Compact Objects
• Formation of Double Neutron Star systems as implied by observations
• Neutron Star Kicks in Isolated and Binary Pulsars: Observational Constraints and Implications for Kick Mechanisms
• Understanding Compact Object Formation and Natal Kicks. III. The case of Cygnus X-1
• The double pulsar: evidence for neutron star formation without an iron core-collapse supernova
• Constraints on Natal Kicks in Galactic Double Neutron Star Systems
• Observations and Modelling of Relativistic Spin Precession in PSR J1141-6545
• The spin period - eccentricity relation of double neutron stars: evidence for weak supernova kicks?
• The Formation of the Double Pulsar PSR J0737-3039A/B
• Understanding Compact Object Formation and Natal Kicks. IV. The case of IC 10 X-1
• Evolutionary Channels for the Formation of Double Neutron Stars
• On the Eccentricities and Merger Rates of Double Neutron Star Binaries and the Creation of "Double Supernovae"
• Spin-Kick Correlation in Neutron Stars: Alignment Conditions and Implications
• X-ray emission from the double neutron star binary B1534+12: Powered by the pulsar wind?
• Age constraints in the double pulsar system J0737-3039
• Realistic Modeling of the Pulse Profile of PSR J0737-3039A
• A post-Keplerian parameter to test gravito-magnetic effects in binary pulsar systems
• Effect of geodetic precession on the evolution of pulsar high-energy pulse profiles as derived with the striped-wind model
• Mergers of Binary Compact Objects
• Forming Double Neutron Stars using Detailed Binary Evolution Models with POSYDON: Comparison to the Galactic Systems