Lense-Thirring frame dragging induced by a fast-rotating white dwarf in a binary pulsar system

Radio pulsars in short-period eccentric binary orbits can be used to study both gravitational dynamics and binary evolution. The binary system containing PSR J1141-6545 includes a massive white dwarf (WD) companion that formed before the gravitationally bound young radio pulsar. We observed a tempor...

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Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2020-01, Vol.367 (6477), p.577-580
Main Authors: Krishnan, V Venkatraman, Bailes, M, van Straten, W, Wex, N, Freire, P C C, Keane, E F, Tauris, T M, Rosado, P A, Bhat, N D R, Flynn, C, Jameson, A, Osłowski, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Binary system
Companion stars
Drift
Eccentric orbits
Evolution
Gravity
Inclination
Precession
Predictions
Pulsars
Quadrupoles
Radio
Relativity
Rotation
Stellar system evolution
Theory of relativity
White dwarf stars
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Summary:Radio pulsars in short-period eccentric binary orbits can be used to study both gravitational dynamics and binary evolution. The binary system containing PSR J1141-6545 includes a massive white dwarf (WD) companion that formed before the gravitationally bound young radio pulsar. We observed a temporal evolution of the orbital inclination of this pulsar that we infer is caused by a combination of a Newtonian quadrupole moment and Lense-Thirring (LT) precession of the orbit resulting from rapid rotation of the WD. LT precession, an effect of relativistic frame dragging, is a prediction of general relativity. This detection is consistent with an evolutionary scenario in which the WD accreted matter from the pulsar progenitor, spinning up the WD to a period of
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aax7007