A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Discovery of a retrogradely rotating neutron star in the X-ray pulsar GX 301-2



Authors: Juhani Mönkkönen, Victor Doroshenko, Sergey S Tsygankov, Armin Nabizadeh, Pavel Abolmasov, Juri Poutanen

Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS

Publication year: 2020

Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Journal name in source: MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

Journal acronym: MON NOT R ASTRON SOC

Volume: 494

Issue: 2

First page : 2178

Last page: 2182

Number of pages: 5

ISSN: 0035-8711

eISSN: 1365-2966

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa906

Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/48444665


Abstract
We report on the analysis of the spin evolution of a slow X-ray pulsar GX 301-2 along the orbit using long-term monitoring by Fermi/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. Based on the observationally confirmed accretion scenario and an analytical model for the accretion of angular momentum, we demonstrate that in this system, the neutron star spins retrogradely, that is, in a direction opposite to the orbital motion. This first-of-a-kind discovery of such a system proves the principal possibility of retrograde rotation in accreting systems with suitable accretion torque, and might have profound consequences for our understanding of the spin evolution of X-ray pulsars, estimates of their initial spin periods, and the ultimate result of their evolution.

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Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 20:40