PSR J1930-1852: a pulsar in the widest known orbit around another neutron star

• Published in: arXiv.org 2015-03
• Main Authors: Swiggum, J K, Rosen, R, McLaughlin, M A, Lorimer, D R, Heatherly, S, Lynch, R, Scoles, S, Hockett, T, Filik, E, Marlowe, J A, Barlow, B N, Weaver, M, Hilzendeger, M, Ernst, S, Crowley, R, Stone, E, Miller, B, Nunez, R, Trevino, G, Doehler, M, Cramer, A, Yencsik, D, Thorley, J, Andrews, R, Laws, A, Wenger, K, Teter, L, Snyder, T, Dittmann, A, Gray, S, Carter, M, McGough, C, Dydiw, S, Pruett, C, Fink, J, Vanderhout, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Eccentric orbits; Neutron stars; Neutrons; Pulsars
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1503.06276

In the summer of 2012, during a Pulsar Search Collaboratory workshop, two high-school students discovered J1930\(-\)1852, a pulsar in a double neutron star (DNS) system. Most DNS systems are characterized by short orbital periods, rapid spin periods and eccentric orbits. However, J1930\(-\)1852 has the longest spin period (\(P_{\rm spin}\sim\)185 ms) and orbital period (\(P_{\rm b}\sim\)45 days) yet measured among known, recycled pulsars in DNS systems, implying a shorter than average and/or inefficient recycling period before its companion went supernova. We measure the relativistic advance of periastron for J1930\(-\)1852, \(\dot{\omega}=0.00078\)(4) deg/yr, which implies a total mass (M\(_{\rm{tot}}=2.59\)(4) M\(_{\odot}\)) consistent with other DNS systems. The \(2\sigma\) constraints on M\(_{\rm{tot}}\) place limits on the pulsar and companion masses (\(m_{\rm p}1.30\) M\(_{\odot}\) respectively). J1930\(-\)1852's spin and orbital parameters challenge current DNS population models and make J1930\(-\)1852 an important system for further investigation.