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Journal articles
First measurement of the total gravitational quadrupole moment of a black widow companion
Abstract : We present the first measurement of the gravitational quadrupole moment of the companion star of a spider pulsar, namely the black widow PSR J2051$-$0827. To this end we have re-analysed radio timing data using a new model which is able to account for periastron precession caused by tidal and centrifugal deformations of the star as well as by general relativity. The model allows for a time-varying component of the quadrupole moment, thus self-consistently accounting for the ill-understood orbital period variations observed in these systems. Our analysis results in the first detection of orbital precession in a spider system at $\dot{\omega} = -68.6_{-0.5}^{+0.9}$ deg/yr and the most accurate determination of orbital eccentricity for PSR J2051$-$0827 with $e = (4.2 \pm 0.1) \times 10^{-5}$.
We show that the variable quadrupole component is about 100 times smaller than the average quadrupole moment $\bar{Q} = -2.2_{-1}^{+0.6} \times 10^{41} \si{kg.m^2}$ . We discuss how accurate modelling of high precision optical light curves of the companion star will allow its apsidal motion constant to be derived from our results.
Cited literature [44 references]
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02427662
Contributor : Guillaume Voisin <>
Submitted on : Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 12:33:19 PM
Last modification on : Friday, May 7, 2021 - 9:09:08 AM
Contributor : Guillaume Voisin <>
Submitted on : Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 12:33:19 PM
Last modification on : Friday, May 7, 2021 - 9:09:08 AM