Multicolour optical light curves of the companion star to the millisecond pulsar PSR J2051-0827

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dc.contributor.authorDhillon, V. S.
dc.contributor.authorKennedy, Mark R.
dc.contributor.authorBreton, R. P.
dc.contributor.authorClark, C. J.
dc.contributor.authorMata Sánchez, D.
dc.contributor.authorVoisin, G.
dc.contributor.authorBreedt, E.
dc.contributor.authorBrown, A. J.
dc.contributor.authorDyer, M. J.
dc.contributor.authorGreen, M. J.
dc.contributor.authorKerry, P.
dc.contributor.authorLittlefair, S. P.
dc.contributor.authorMarsh, T. R.
dc.contributor.authorParsons, S. G.
dc.contributor.authorPelisoli, I.
dc.contributor.authorSahman, D. I.
dc.contributor.authorWild, J. F.
dc.contributor.authorvan Kerkwijk, M. H.
dc.contributor.authorStappers, B. W.
dc.contributor.funderSeventh Framework Programme
dc.contributor.funderEuropean Research Council
dc.contributor.funderScience and Technology Facilities Council
dc.contributor.funderHorizon 2020
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Council
dc.contributor.funderEuropean Regional Development Fund
dc.contributor.funderConsejería de Educación, Universidades, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno de Canarias
dc.contributor.funderScience and Technology Facilities Council
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-10T16:22:39Z
dc.date.available2023-11-01T10:30:08Zen
dc.date.available2023-11-10T16:22:39Z
dc.date.issued2022-08-25
dc.date.updated2023-11-01T10:30:10Zen
dc.description.abstractWe present simultaneous, multicolour optical light curves of the companion star to the black-widow pulsar PSR J2051−0827, obtained approximately 10 yr apart using ULTRACAM and HiPERCAM, respectively. The ULTRACAM light curves confirm the previously reported asymmetry in which the leading hemisphere of the companion star appears to be brighter than the trailing hemisphere. The HiPERCAM light curves, however, do not show this asymmetry, demonstrating that whatever mechanism is responsible for it varies on time-scales of a decade or less. We fit the symmetrical HiPERCAM light curves with a direct-heating model to derive the system parameters, finding an orbital inclination of 55.9+4.8−4.1 degrees, in good agreement with radio-eclipse constraints. We find that approximately half of the pulsar’s spin-down energy is converted to optical luminosity, resulting in temperatures ranging from approximately 5150+190−190 K on the day side to 2750+130−150 K on the night side of the companion star. The companion star is close to filling its Roche lobe (⁠fRL=0.88+0.02−0.02⁠) and has a mass of 0.039+0.010−0.011 M⊙, giving a mean density of 20.24+0.59−0.44 g cm−3 and an apsidal motion constant in the range 0.0036 < k2 < 0.0047. The companion mass and mean density values are consistent with those of brown dwarfs, but the apsidal motion constant implies a significantly more centrally condensed internal structure than is typical for such objects.
dc.description.sponsorshipSeventh Framework Programme (ERC-2013-ADG Grant Agreement no. 340040 HiPERCAM); Science and Technology Facilities Council (grant ST/V000853/1; Ernest Rutherford Fellowship; grant ST/T000406/1); Horizon 2020 (715051 Spiders); Irish Research Council (Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship GOIPD/2021/670: Invisible Monsters); European Regional Development Fund and Gobierno de Canarias (grant number PROID2020010104)
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationDhillon, V. S., Kennedy, M. R., Breton, R. P., Clark, C. J., Mata Sánchez, D., Voisin, G., Breedt, E., Brown, A. J., Dyer, M. J., Green, M. J. and Kerry, P. (2022) 'Multicolour optical light curves of the companion star to the millisecond pulsar PSR J2051−0827', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 516(2), pp.2792-2800. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stac2357
dc.identifier.doi10.1093/mnras/stac2357en
dc.identifier.eissn1365-2966
dc.identifier.endpage2800
dc.identifier.issn0035-8711
dc.identifier.issued2
dc.identifier.journaltitleMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
dc.identifier.startpage2792
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/15222
dc.identifier.volume516
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherOxford University Press
dc.rights© 2022, the Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The version of record [Dhillon, V. S., Kennedy, M. R., Breton, R. P., Clark, C. J., Mata Sánchez, D., Voisin, G., Breedt, E., Brown, A. J., Dyer, M. J., Green, M. J. and Kerry, P. (2022) 'Multicolour optical light curves of the companion star to the millisecond pulsar PSR J2051−0827', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 516(2), pp.2792-2800. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stac2357] is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac2357
dc.subjectStars: neutron
dc.subjectPulsars: individual
dc.subjectPSR J2051−0827
dc.titleMulticolour optical light curves of the companion star to the millisecond pulsar PSR J2051-0827en
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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