Fundamental properties of the pulsar/white-dwarf binary PSR B1855+09

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Hst Proposal Id #6744 Hot Stars

Scientific paper

We propose to obtain a broad-band image of the field of the millisecond pulsar B1855+09, to identify the white-dwarf companion. The PSR B1855+09 system is unique. It is the only one for which Shapiro delay of the pulsed signal has yielded an accurate mass determination of the white dwarf {M_WD=0.258^+0.028_-0.016 Msun}, and it is the only pulsar for which a parallax has been measured. If the temperature of the white dwarf were known as well, then the system would offer an unprecedented opportunity for quantitative comparisons between the theoretical and observational properties of a low-mass helium white dwarf, which would allow one to constrain the interior structure and atmosphere of the white dwarf, to determine the cooling age of the white dwarf, and to constrain the age of the pulsar. At its low Galactic latitude, the companion has eluded detection until the appearance of the Keck telescope, with which we have found a candidate counterpart. We hope to confirm the identification with this HST observation.

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