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arXiv · 1310.7549

A New Accretion Disk Around the Missing Link Binary System PSR J1023+0038

A. Patruno·A. M. Archibald·J. W. T. Hessels·S. Bogdanov·B. W. Stappers·C. G. Bassa·G. H. Janssen·V. M. Kaspi·S. Tendulkar·A. G. Lyne
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Abstract

PSR J1023+0038 is an exceptional system for understanding how slowly rotating neutron stars are spun up to millisecond rotational periods through accretion from a companion star. Observed as a radio pulsar from 2007-2013, optical data showed that the system had an accretion disk in 2000/2001. Starting at the end of 2013 June, the radio pulsar has become undetectable, suggesting a return to the previous accretion-disk state, where the system more closely resembles an X-ray binary. In this Letter we report the first targeted X-ray observations ever performed of the active phase and complement them with UV/Optical and radio observations collected in 2013 October. We find strong evidence that indeed an accretion disk has recently formed in the system and we report the detection of fast X-ray changes spanning about two orders of magnitude in luminosity. No radio pulsations are seen during low flux states in the X-ray light-curve or at any other times.

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A. Patruno, A. M. Archibald, J. W. T. Hessels, S. Bogdanov, B. W. Stappers, C. G. Bassa, G. H. Janssen, V. M. Kaspi, S. Tendulkar, A. G. Lyne. 2013-10-28. A New Accretion Disk Around the Missing Link Binary System PSR J1023+0038. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/781/1/l3

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