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The optical & IR lightcurve of PSR B1957+20

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2006

M. T. Reynolds ,
P. J. Callanan ,
A. S. Fruchter ,
M. A. P. Torres ,
M. E. Beer  and
R. A. Gibbons
M. T. Reynolds
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University College Cork, Ireland email: m.reynolds@ucc.ie
P. J. Callanan
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University College Cork, Ireland email: m.reynolds@ucc.ie
A. S. Fruchter
Affiliation:
Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
M. A. P. Torres
Affiliation:
Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
M. E. Beer
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, England
R. A. Gibbons
Affiliation:
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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Abstract

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We present a new analysis of the light curve of the secondary star in the PSR B1957+20 system. Combining previous data and new data points at minimum from the Hubble Space Telescope, we have 100% coverage in the R-band. We also have a number of new K$_s$ band data points, which we use to constrain the IR magnitude of the system. We model this with the Eclipsing Light Curve code. From the modeling we obtain colour information about the secondary at minimum in BVRI & K. For our best fit model we are able to constrain the system inclination to 66.6 $\pm$ 2.1$^o$ for pulsar masses ranging from 1.35 – 1.9 M$_{\odot}$. The pulsar mass is unconstrained. We also find that the secondary is not filling its Roche lobe, which has important consequences for evolutionary models of this system. The temperature of the un-irradiated side of the companion is in agreement with previous estimates.

Keywords

X-rays: binariespulsars: individual (PSR B1957+20)
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 1 , Symposium S230: Populations of High Energy Sources in Galaxies , August 2005 , pp. 55 - 56
Copyright
2006 International Astronomical Union