Discovery of the Optical/Ultraviolet/Gamma-ray Counterpart to the Eclipsing Millisecond Pulsar J1816+4510

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of gamma-ray and optical/UV counterparts to the eclipsing millisecond pulsar J1816+4510, revealing a hot, bright companion likely affected by recent mass loss, and demonstrates the pulsar's gamma-ray efficiency.

Contribution

First detection of gamma-ray and optical/UV counterparts to pulsar J1816+4510, providing insights into its companion's properties and pulsar emission mechanisms.

Findings

Gamma-ray pulsations detected with ~25% efficiency.

Optical/UV counterpart identified as a hot, bright companion.

Companion appears larger and hotter than typical white dwarfs.

Abstract

The energetic, eclipsing millisecond pulsar J1816+4510 was recently discovered in a low-frequency radio survey with the Green Bank Telescope. With an orbital period of 8.7 hr and minimum companion mass of 0.16 Msun it appears to belong to an increasingly important class of pulsars that are ablating their low-mass companions. We report the discovery of the gamma-ray counterpart to this pulsar, and present a likely optical/ultraviolet counterpart as well. Using the radio ephemeris we detect pulsations in the unclassified gamma-ray source 2FGL J1816.5+4511, implying an efficiency of ~25% in converting the pulsar's spin-down luminosity into gamma-rays and adding PSR J1816+4510 to the large number of millisecond pulsars detected by Fermi. The likely optical/UV counterpart was identified through position coincidence (<0.1") and unusual colors. Assuming that it is the companion, with R=18.27+/-0.03 mag and effective temperature >15,000 K it would be among the brightest and hottest of low-mass pulsar companions, and appears qualitatively different from other eclipsing pulsar systems. In particular, current data suggest that it is a factor of two larger than most white dwarfs of its mass, but a factor of four smaller than its Roche lobe. We discuss possible reasons for its high temperature and odd size, and suggest that it recently underwent a violent episode of mass loss. Regardless of origin, its brightness and the relative unimportance of irradiation make it an ideal target for a mass, and hence a neutron star mass, determination.