The population of black widow pulsars |
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| Authors: | A R King M E Beer D J Rolfe K Schenker J M Skipp |
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| Institution: | Theoretical Astrophysics Group, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH |
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| Abstract: | We consider the population of black widow pulsars (BWPs). The large majority of these are members of globular clusters. For minimum companion masses ?0.1 M⊙ , adiabatic evolution and consequent mass loss under gravitational radiation appear to provide a coherent explanation of all observable properties. We suggest that the group of BWPs with minimum companion masses ?0.1 M⊙ are systems relaxing to equilibrium after a relatively recent capture event. We point out that all binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs) with orbital periods P ? 10 h are BWPs (our line of sight allows us to see the eclipses in 10 out of 16 cases). This implies that recycled MSPs emit either in a wide fan beam or a pencil beam close to the spin plane. Simple evolutionary ideas favour a fan beam. |
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| Keywords: | binaries: close |
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