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Discovery of two millisecond pulsars in Fermi sources with the nançay radio telescope

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Cognard, I.
Venter, C.
Guillemot, L.
Johnson, T.J.
Smith, D.A.
Fermi LAT

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IOP Publishing

Abstract

We report the discovery of two millisecond pulsars in a search for radio pulsations at the positions of Fermi-Large Area Telescope sources with no previously known counterparts, using the Nan¸cay Radio Telescope. The two millisecond pulsars, PSRs J2017+0603 and J2302+4442, have rotational periods of 2.896 and 5.192 ms and are both in binary systems with low-eccentricity orbits and orbital periods of 2.2 and 125.9 days, respectively, suggesting long recycling processes. Gamma-ray pulsations were subsequently detected for both objects, indicating that they power the associated Fermi sources in which they were found. The gamma-ray light curves and spectral properties are similar to those of previously detected gamma-ray millisecond pulsars. Detailed modeling of the observed radio and gamma-ray light curves shows that the gamma-ray emission seems to originate at high altitudes in their magnetospheres. Additionally, X-ray observations revealed the presence of an X-ray source at the position of PSR J2302+4442, consistent with thermal emission from a neutron star. These discoveries along with the numerous detections of radio-loud millisecond pulsars in gamma rays suggest that many Fermi sources with no known counterpart could be unknown millisecond pulsars.

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Cognard, I. et al. 2011. Discovery of two millisecond pulsars in Fermi sources with the nançay radio telescope. Astrophysical journal, 732(1): Article no 47. [https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/732/1/47]

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