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[118.05] Constraining the Orbital Geometry of the PSR J1740-3052 System

I. H. Stairs (UBC), R. N. Manchester (ATNF), A. G. Lyne, M. Kramer (JBO), F. Camilo (Columbia University), V. M. Kaspi (McGill University), N. D'Amico (Bologna)

The young pulsar PSR J1740-3052 is in a highly eccentric 8-month orbit with a companion of at least 11 solar masses. While a late-type star is coincident with the pulsar position, we have argued that this is a chance superposition and that the true pulsar companion is probably an early-B star hidden by the light of the late-type star. Here we present multifrequency Green Bank and Parkes Telescope data on this pulsar, which allow us to model the interaction of the pulsar signal with a B-star wind and to estimate the inclination angle of the orbit. We also report a preliminary detection of two precessional effects in the pulsar timing, allowing us to constrain the misalignment angle between the B-star spin axis and the orbital angular momentum.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #4
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.