Transitional Millisecond Pulsar Binaries
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Abstract
The extremely fast rotation of millisecond pulsars is the outcome of a Gyr-long accretion phase onto a neutron star of material transferred through an accretion disc from a low mass late-type companion star. After this phase during which the binary shines as a bright low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB), the mass transfer rate declines allowing the activation of a radio/gamma-ray pulsar (MSP) powered by the rapid rotation of its magnetic field. The tight link between LMXBs and MSPs was first testified in 2009 by PSRJ1023+0038 that years before was in an accretion state. The recent suprising discovery of three binary systems, dubbed transitional MSPs, switching from accretion to rotation-powered emission and viceversa has shown the existence of a peculiar intermediate evolutionary phase during which LMXB and MSP states interchange on timescales compatible with those of the variations of the mass-inflow. Transitions were observed during outburst but also in an extremely peculiar sub-luminous disc state during which both accretion and ejection may take place. The main observational properties of known and candidate systems in both disc and disc-free states and ongoing efforts to understand the coupling of accretion and ejection and the role of magnetic fields in driving outflows will be presented.
Coverage
The X-ray Universe 2017
Start page
7
Conferenece
The X-ray Universe 2017
Conferenece place
Roma
Conferenece date
6-9 giugno, 2017
Ads BibCode
2017xru..conf....7D
Rights
open.access
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Dde_Martino_t.pdf
Description
Talk
Size
8.9 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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