An eccentric binary millisecond pulsar in the galactic plane

David J. Champion, Scott M. Ransom, Patrick Lazarus, Fernando Camilo, Cees Bassa, Victoria M. Kaspi, David J. Nice, Paulo C C Freire, Ingrid H. Stairs, Joeri Van Leeuwen, Ben W. Stappers, James M. Cordes, Jason W T Hessels, Duncan R. Lorimer, Zaven Arzoumanian, Don C. Backer, N. D Ramesh Bhat, Shami Chatterjee, Ismaël Cognard, Julia S. DenevaClaude André Faucher-Giguère, Bryan M. Gaensler, JinLin Han, Fredrick A. Jenet, Laura Kasian, Vlad I. Kondratiev, Michael Kramer, Joseph Lazio, Maura A. McLaughlin, Arun Venkataraman, Wouter Vlemmings

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

162 Scopus citations

Abstract

Binary pulsar systems are superb probes of stellar and binary evolution and the physics of extreme environments. In a survey with the Arecibo telescope, we have found PSR J1903+0327, a radio pulsar with a rotational period of 2.15 milliseconds in a highly eccentric (e = 0.44) 95-day orbit around a solar mass (MFisheye) companion. Infrared observations identify a possible main-sequence companion star. Conventional binary stellar evolution models predict neither large orbital eccentricities nor main-sequence companions around millisecond pulsars. Alternative formation scenarios involve recycling a neutron star in a globular cluster, then ejecting it into the Galactic disk, or membership in a hierarchical triple system. A relativistic analysis of timing observations of the pulsar finds its mass to be 1.74 ± 0.04 M Fisheye, an unusually high value.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1309-1312
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume320
Issue number5881
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 6 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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