Parkes observations for project P1342 semester 2024OCTS_04

We have discovered an eclipsing binary millisecond pulsar in image-plane searches. Follow-up work confirmed that the source has pulsations and a Fermi association, revealing that it is a millisecond pulsar (MSP). The MSP is in a compact binary orbit with an optical companion. The duration of the eclipses suggests that this is a ``spider'' system, with an eclipsing material. The formation and evolution of spider systems are still poorly understood. Timing of this system will allow us to constrain the orbit of the system so that we can explore the eclipse cut-off frequency and change in electron column density of the eclipse. It would also improve predictions of the eclipsing binary pulsar and MSP population detectable by upcoming, highly sensitive image-plane surveys at low frequencies using precursors to, and eventually, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) itself. The detection of MSPs also provides compelling evidence that the Fermi gamma-ray excess is coming from thousands of MSPs.

我们在像平面巡天（image-plane searches）中发现了一颗食双星毫秒脉冲星。后续观测验证了该源存在脉冲辐射且与费米（Fermi）成协，由此确认其为毫秒脉冲星（millisecond pulsar, MSP）。该毫秒脉冲星处于与光学伴星构成的密近双星轨道中。食蚀的持续时长表明该系统属于“蜘蛛”双星系统，存在遮挡物质。目前学界对蜘蛛系统的形成与演化机制仍知之甚少。对该系统开展计时观测，将帮助我们限定其轨道参数，进而研究食蚀的截止频率以及食蚀过程中电子柱密度的变化。该研究还将完善对食双星脉冲星与毫秒脉冲星的种群预测，这些天体将被未来即将开展的低频高灵敏度像平面巡天探测到——此类巡天将依托平方公里阵列（Square Kilometre Array, SKA）的先期项目，并最终依托平方公里阵列本身完成。此次毫秒脉冲星的探测，也为费米伽马射线超出信号源自数千颗毫秒脉冲星提供了强有力的证据。