X-Ray and Optical Properties of Black Widows and Redbacks

TL;DR

This paper reviews multi-wavelength observations of black widow and redback binary systems, highlighting new X-ray and optical data that reveal their complex interactions and properties.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent X-ray and optical studies, including new data from XMM-Newton and NuStar, advancing understanding of these pulsar binary systems.

Findings

Detection of orbital variations in optical emission

Observation of intra-binary shock X-ray emission

New optical photometry data

Abstract

Black widows and redbacks are binary systems consisting of a millisecond pulsar in a close binary with a companion having matter driven off of its surface by the pulsar wind. X-rays due to an intra-binary shock have been observed from many of these systems, as well as orbital variations in the optical emission from the companion due to heating and tidal distortion. We have been systematically studying these systems in radio, optical and X-rays. Here we will present an overview of X-ray and optical studies of these systems, including new XMM-Newton and NuStar data obtained from several of them, along with new optical photometry.