Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2003-09-17
Astrophys.J.597:L45-L48,2003
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
9 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (Letters)
Scientific paper
10.1086/379800
A young and undermassive white dwarf has been identified as the possible companion to the millisecond pulsar PSR B1620-26 in Messier 4. This association is important as it then helps constrain the mass of the third body in the system to be of order a few times that of Jupiter. The presence of this planet in M4 has critical implications for planetary formation mechanisms in metal-poor environments such as globular clusters and the early Universe. The identification of the white dwarf is purely via the agreement in position between it and the pulsar and was limited by the accuracy of the pointing of HST which is +/-0.7 arcsec. We have redetermined the position of the white dwarf using ground-based data tied to USNOB-1.0 and find that the pulsar and white dwarf are now coincident to within 0.12 +/- 0.13 arcsec further strengthening the case for association between the two. We have also attempted to improve the proper motion measurement of the white dwarf by a maximum likelihood analysis of the stellar positions measured over a baseline of 5 years. While the errors are reduced by almost a factor of 6 from our previous work, we still have not resolved the cluster's intrinsic dispersion in proper motion. Thus the proper motion of the white dwarf with respect to the cluster itself is still not known although it is very small and is within 2-sigma of that of the cluster internal dispersion.
Fahlman Gregory G.
Huber Mark
Ibata Rodrigo
Richer Harvey B.
No associations
LandOfFree
The Pulsar-White Dwarf-Planet System in Messier 4: Improved Astrometry does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with The Pulsar-White Dwarf-Planet System in Messier 4: Improved Astrometry, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Pulsar-White Dwarf-Planet System in Messier 4: Improved Astrometry will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-110911