A Link Between White Dwarf Pulsars and Polars Multiwavelength Observations of the 9.36-minute Period Variable Gaia22ayj

Open Access
Authors
  • Antonio C. Rodriguez
  • Kareem El-Badry
  • Pasi Hakala
  • Pablo Rodríguez-Gil
  • Tong Bao
  • Ilkham Galiullin
  • Jacob A. Kurlander
  • Casey J. Law
  • Ingrid Pelisoli
  • Matthias R. Schreiber
  • Kevin Burdge
  • Ilaria Caiazzo
  • Jan van Roestel
  • Paula Szkody
  • Andrew J. Drake
  • David A.H. Buckley
  • Stephen B. Potter
  • Boris Gaensicke
  • Kaya Mori
  • Eric C. Bellm
  • Shrinivas R. Kulkarni
  • Thomas A. Prince
  • Matthew Graham
  • Mansi M. Kasliwal
  • Sam Rose
  • Yashvi Sharma
  • Tomás Ahumada
  • Shreya Anand
  • Akke Viitanen
  • Avery Wold
  • Tracy X. Chen
  • Reed Riddle
  • Roger Smith
Publication date 02-2025
Journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Article number 024202
Volume | Issue number 137 | 2
Number of pages 26
Organisations
  • Faculty of Science (FNWI) - Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy (API)
Abstract

White dwarfs (WDs) are the most abundant compact objects, and recent surveys have suggested that over a third of WDs in accreting binaries host a strong (B ≳ 1 MG) magnetic field. However, the origin and evolution of WD magnetism remain under debate. Two WD pulsars, AR Sco and J191213.72-441045.1 (J1912), have been found, which are non-accreting binaries hosting rapidly spinning (1.97 minutes and 5.30 minutes, respectively) magnetic WDs. The WD in AR Sco is slowing down on a P / P ̇ ≈ 5.6 ×  106 yr timescale. It is believed they will eventually become polars, accreting systems in which a magnetic WD (B ≈ 10−240 MG) accretes from a Roche lobe-filling donor spinning in sync with the orbit (≳78 minutes). Here, we present multiwavelength data and analysis of Gaia22ayj, which outbursted in 2022 March. We find that Gaia22ayj is a magnetic accreting WD that is rapidly spinning down ( P / P ̇ = 6.1+0.3−0.2 × 106 yr) like WD pulsars, but shows clear evidence of accretion, like polars. Strong linear polarization (40%) is detected in Gaia22ayj; such high levels have only been seen in the WD pulsar AR Sco and demonstrate the WD is magnetic. High speed photometry reveals a 9.36 minutes period accompanying a high amplitude (∼2 mag) modulation. We associate this with a WD spin or spin-orbit beat period, not an orbital period as was previously suggested. Fast (60 s) optical spectroscopy reveals a broad “hump,” reminiscent of cyclotron emission in polars, between 4000 and 8000 Å. We find an X-ray luminosity of LX = 2.7+6.2−0.8 + 6.2 × 1032 ergs−1 in the 0.3-8 keV energy range, while two very large array radio campaigns resulted in a non-detection with a Fr < 15.8 μJy 3σ upper limit. The shared properties of both WD pulsars and polars suggest that Gaia22ayj is a missing link between the two classes of magnetic WD binaries.

Document type Article
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/adb0f1
Other links https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/86000108596
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