A pulsar-helium star compact binary system formed by common envelope evolution.
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| Title: | A pulsar-helium star compact binary system formed by common envelope evolution. |
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| Authors: | Yang, Z. L., Han, J. L., Zhou, D. J., Jing, W. C., Chen, W. C., Wang, T., Li, X. D., Wang, S., Wang, B., Ge, H. W., Guo, Y. L., Li, L. H., Shao, Y., Liu, J. F., Su, W. Q., Hou, L. G., Huang, W. J., Jiang, J. C., Jiang, P., Sun, J. H. |
| Source: | Science. 5/22/2025, Vol. 388 Issue 6749, p859-863. 5p. |
| Subjects: | B stars, Pulsars, Binary systems (Astronomy), Stellar evolution, Circumstellar matter, Stellar orbits |
| Abstract: | A stellar common envelope occurs in a binary system when the atmosphere of an evolving star expands to encompass an orbiting companion object. Such systems are predicted to evolve rapidly, ejecting the stellar envelope and leaving the companion in a tighter orbit around a stripped star. We used radio timing to identify a pulsar, PSR J1928+1815, with a spin period of 10.55 ms in a compact binary system with an orbital period of 3.60 hours. The companion star has 1.0 to 1.6 solar masses, eclipses the pulsar for about 17% of the orbit, and is undetected at other wavelengths, so it is most likely a stripped helium star. We interpret this system as having recently undergone a common envelope phase, producing a compact binary. Editor's summary: Stars in binary systems can interact, which affects the evolution of both objects. Theory predicts that some binary systems experience a common envelope phase in which one object orbits within the outer layers of its companion, but this has not been directly observed. Yang et al. identified a rapidly spinning pulsar on a close orbit with a companion helium star. Comparison with theoretical models showed that this system recently underwent a common envelope phase, with the pulsar orbiting inside the envelope of a main sequence companion. The companion's envelope was ejected within a thousand years, producing the helium star, and some mass was transferred to the pulsar, increasing its spin rate. —Keith T. Smith [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | A stellar common envelope occurs in a binary system when the atmosphere of an evolving star expands to encompass an orbiting companion object. Such systems are predicted to evolve rapidly, ejecting the stellar envelope and leaving the companion in a tighter orbit around a stripped star. We used radio timing to identify a pulsar, PSR J1928+1815, with a spin period of 10.55 ms in a compact binary system with an orbital period of 3.60 hours. The companion star has 1.0 to 1.6 solar masses, eclipses the pulsar for about 17% of the orbit, and is undetected at other wavelengths, so it is most likely a stripped helium star. We interpret this system as having recently undergone a common envelope phase, producing a compact binary. Editor's summary: Stars in binary systems can interact, which affects the evolution of both objects. Theory predicts that some binary systems experience a common envelope phase in which one object orbits within the outer layers of its companion, but this has not been directly observed. Yang et al. identified a rapidly spinning pulsar on a close orbit with a companion helium star. Comparison with theoretical models showed that this system recently underwent a common envelope phase, with the pulsar orbiting inside the envelope of a main sequence companion. The companion's envelope was ejected within a thousand years, producing the helium star, and some mass was transferred to the pulsar, increasing its spin rate. —Keith T. Smith [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00368075 |
| DOI: | 10.1126/science.ado0769 |
