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Companion star of a binary millisecond pulsar

Nature volume 324, pages 127–128 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Binary pulsars offer important clues about the evolution of neutron stars. We have searched for and identified the companion star of the recently discovered1 binary millisecond pulsar PSR1855 + 09. The optical counterpart is compatible with a 0.3M⊙ white dwarf with a surface temperature of ∼5,900 K. This is in accord with currently accepted ideas on the genesis of such a fast binary pulsar2. The low temperature of the white dwarf implies that the system is >109yr old. Such an old pulsar is not easily accounted for by the conventional theory, in which the pulsar ceases to be active after its magnetic field decays, a process believed to take ∼107 yr.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, USA

    G. A. Wright & E. D. Loh

Authors
  1. G. A. Wright
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  2. E. D. Loh
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Wright, G., Loh, E. Companion star of a binary millisecond pulsar. Nature 324, 127–128 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/324127a0

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