Evolution of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 from Aqueye+ and NICER observations
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| author | Conforti, Silvia Zampieri, Luca Fiori, Michele Spolon, Alessia Naletto, Giampiero Burtovoi, Aleksandr |
| author_facet | Conforti, Silvia Zampieri, Luca Fiori, Michele Spolon, Alessia Naletto, Giampiero Burtovoi, Aleksandr |
| contents | Transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) are old neutron stars spun up by accretion from a low-mass companion. These objects can switch between two emission regimes: rotation-powered radio pulsar and accreting X-ray pulsar. The origin of their optical and X-ray pulsations is still debated, although one model attributes them to synchrotron emission produced in a shock between the pulsar wind and the accretion flow. The small phase lag observed between optical and X-ray pulses in PSR J1023+0038 supports a common origin. We present a new measurement of the phase lag between optical and X-ray pulse profiles of PSR J1023+0038 and investigate the evolution of the time of passage at the ascending node ($T_{\rm{asc}}$) up to 2023. We performed a timing analysis of optical observations obtained with Aqueye+ between 2021 and 2023 and of X-ray data from NICER in 2023. We derive updated values of $T_{\rm{asc}}$ and measure the optical - X-ray phase lag from simultaneous observations. We find that $T_{\rm{asc}}$ increases by about 20 s per year. In January 2023, we measure a phase lag of $0.067 \pm 0.018$, corresponding to $112.3 \pm 30.7\,μ$s. Since 2017, the evolution of $T_{\rm{asc}}$ follows a parabolic trend, indicating an increase in the orbital period and orbital separation of the system. This behaviour is consistent with non-conservative Roche-lobe overflow, with the donor losing mass at a rate much higher than the accretion rate. The phase lag measurement further supports a common origin of the optical and X-ray pulsations. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_11274 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Evolution of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 from Aqueye+ and NICER observations Conforti, Silvia Zampieri, Luca Fiori, Michele Spolon, Alessia Naletto, Giampiero Burtovoi, Aleksandr High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) are old neutron stars spun up by accretion from a low-mass companion. These objects can switch between two emission regimes: rotation-powered radio pulsar and accreting X-ray pulsar. The origin of their optical and X-ray pulsations is still debated, although one model attributes them to synchrotron emission produced in a shock between the pulsar wind and the accretion flow. The small phase lag observed between optical and X-ray pulses in PSR J1023+0038 supports a common origin. We present a new measurement of the phase lag between optical and X-ray pulse profiles of PSR J1023+0038 and investigate the evolution of the time of passage at the ascending node ($T_{\rm{asc}}$) up to 2023. We performed a timing analysis of optical observations obtained with Aqueye+ between 2021 and 2023 and of X-ray data from NICER in 2023. We derive updated values of $T_{\rm{asc}}$ and measure the optical - X-ray phase lag from simultaneous observations. We find that $T_{\rm{asc}}$ increases by about 20 s per year. In January 2023, we measure a phase lag of $0.067 \pm 0.018$, corresponding to $112.3 \pm 30.7\,μ$s. Since 2017, the evolution of $T_{\rm{asc}}$ follows a parabolic trend, indicating an increase in the orbital period and orbital separation of the system. This behaviour is consistent with non-conservative Roche-lobe overflow, with the donor losing mass at a rate much higher than the accretion rate. The phase lag measurement further supports a common origin of the optical and X-ray pulsations. |
| title | Evolution of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 from Aqueye+ and NICER observations |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.11274 |