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arXiv · 2007.05219

Orbital spin dynamics of a millisecond pulsar around a massive black hole with an general mass quadrupole

Tom Kimpson·Kinwah Wu·Silvia Zane
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Abstract

We investigate the spin dynamics of a millisecond pulsar (MSP) in compact orbit around a Kerr-like massive black hole with an general mass quadrupole. We use the Mathisson-Papetrou-Dixon formulation to compute the orbital and spin evolution of the MSP, accounting for the non-linear interaction of the pulsar's energy-momentum tensor on the background spacetime metric. We investigate how the MSP spin and BH quadrupole moment manifest in the pulsar spin-orbital dynamics. We discuss the astrophysical observational implications of these spin and orbital dynamics on the timing of a radio pulsar in an Extreme Mass Ratio Binary, e.g. a Galactic Centre pulsar. In particular, notable timing variations in the Einstein delay and Roemer delay are observed, along with modifications to the pulsar pulse profile.

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Tom Kimpson, Kinwah Wu, Silvia Zane. 2020-07-10. Orbital spin dynamics of a millisecond pulsar around a massive black hole with an general mass quadrupole. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstaa2103

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