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Title

The High Time Resolution Universe Pulsar Survey II: discovery of five millisecond pulsars

Author(s)

Bates, S. D.;  Bailes, M.;  Bhat, N. D. R.;  Burgay, M.;  Burke-Spolaor, S.;  D'Amico, N.;  Jameson, A.;  Johnston, S.;  Keith, M. J.;  Kramer, M.;  Levin, L.;  Lyne, A.;  Milia, S.;  Possenti, A.;  Stappers, B.;  van Straten, W.

Abstract

We present the discovery of five millisecond pulsars found in the mid-Galactic latitude portion of the High Time Resolution Universe (HTRU) survey. The pulsars have rotational periods from ∼2.3 ms to ∼7.5 ms, and all are in binary systems with orbital periods ranging from ∼0.3 to ∼150 d. In four of these systems, the most likely companion is a white dwarf, with minimum masses of ∼0.2 M⊙. The other pulsar, J1731−1847, has a very low mass companion and exhibits eclipses and is thus a member of the ‘black widow’ class of pulsar binaries. These eclipses have been observed in bands centred near frequencies of 700, 1400 and 3000 MHz, from which measurements have been made of the electron density in the eclipse region. These measurements have been used to examine some possible eclipse mechanisms. The eclipse and other properties of this source are used to perform a comparison with the other known eclipsing and ‘black widow’ pulsars. These new discoveries occupy a short-period and high-dispersion measure (DM) region of parameter space, which we demonstrate is a direct consequence of the high time and frequency resolution of the HTRU survey. The large implied distances to our new discoveries make observation of their companions unlikely with both current optical telescopes and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The extremely circular orbits make any advance of periastron measurements highly unlikely. No relativistic Shapiro delays are obvious in any of the systems although the low flux densities would make their detection difficult unless the orbits were fortuitously edge-on.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

Source

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 416, no. 4 (Oct 2011), pp. 2455-2464

Publication year

2011

FOR Code(s)

0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences

Keyword(s)

PSR J1125-5825;  PSR J1708-3506;  PSR J1731-1847;  PSR J1801-3210;  PSR J1811-2405;  Pulsars

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing

ISSN

0035-8711

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18416.x

Copyright

Copyright © 2011 The Authors. Journal compilation copyright © 2011 Royal Astronomical Society. The accepted manuscript is reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. The definitive publication is available at www.interscience.wiley.com.

Full text

Peer reviewed