The Optical Counterpart of SAX J1808.4-3658 in Quiescence: Evidence of an Active Radio Pulsar?

Details The Optical Counterpart of SAX J1808.4-3658 in Quiescence: Evidence of an Active Radio Pulsar? The Optical Counterpart of SAX J1808.4-3658 in Quiescence: Evidence of an Active Radio Pulsar?

Jul 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004rmxac..20...25b&link_type=abstract

Compact Binaries in the Galaxy and Beyond, Proceedings of the conference held 17-22 November, 2003 in La Paz, Baja California Su

Statistics

Computation

Accretion, Accretion Discs, Stars: Individual (Sax J1808.4-3658), Stars: Neutron, X-Rays: Stars

Scientific paper

The optical counterpart of the binary millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 during quiescence was detected at V = 21.5 mag, inconsistent with intrinsic emission from the fain companion star. We propose that the optical emission from this system during quiescence is due to the irradiation of the companion star and a remnant accretion disk by the rotational energy released by the fast spinning neutron star, switched on, as magneto-dipole rotator (radio pulsar). In this scenario the companion behaves as a bolometer, reprocessing in optical part of the power emitted by the pulsar. The reprocessed fraction depends only on known binary parameters. Thus the blackbody temperature of the companion can be predicted and compared with the observations. Our computations indicate that the observed optical magnitudes are fully consistent with this hypothesis. In this case the observed optical luminosity may be the first evidence that a radio pulsar is active in this system in quiescence.

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