Related papers: A state change in the low-mass X-ray binary XSS J1…

The binary system PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 is well sampled in radio, X-rays, and TeV gamma-rays, and shows orbital phase-dependent variability in these frequencies. The first detection of GeV gamma-rays from the system was made around the 2010…

I present an observational review of the five currently known accretion-driven millisecond X-ray pulsars. A prominent place in this review is given to SAX J1808.4-3658; it was the first such system discovered and currently four outbursts…

We examine the nature of RXJ0806.3+1527 and show that it is possible to reconcile the observed period decrease and X-ray luminosity with the transfer of mass between two white dwarfs provided that: either the system is (i) still in the…

RX J1914.4+2456 is a candidate double-degenerate binary (AM CVn) with a putative 569 s orbital period. If this identification is correct, then it has one of the shortest binary orbital periods known, and gravitational radiation should drive…

The large majority of neutron stars (NSs) in low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) have never shown detectable pulsations despite several decades of intense monitoring. The reason for this remains an unsolved problem that hampers our ability to…

I review some recent developments in the field of X-ray pulsars: the discovery of millisecond pulsations in the Low Mass Binary System SAX J1808.4-3658, the large number of transient Be systems discovered in the Magellanic Clouds and the…

GRO J1744-28 (the Bursting Pulsar) is a neutron star LMXB which shows highly structured X-ray variability near the end of its X-ray outbursts. In this letter we show that this variability is analogous to that seen in Transitional…

PSR J0751+1807 is a millisecond pulsar in a circular 6 hr binary system with a helium white dwarf secondary. Through high precision pulse timing measurements with the Arecibo and Effelsberg radio telescopes, we have detected the decay of…

We present the first set of broadband spectral and timing studies of two transient X-ray pulsars, MXB 0656-072 and MAXI J1409-619 using NuSTAR observations conducted during quiescence. Despite being captured at one of their lowest…

The double pulsar system PSR J0737-3039A/B is a double neutron star binary, with a 2.4-hour orbital period, which has allowed measurement of relativistic orbital perturbations to high precision. The low mass of the second-formed neutron…

We report the discovery and the results of follow-up timing observations of PSR J2045+3633 and PSR J2053+4650, two binary pulsars found in the Northern High Time Resolution Universe pulsar survey being carried out with the Effelsberg radio…

The aim of this work is to search for radio signals in the quiescent phase of accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars, in this way giving an ultimate proof of the recycling model, thereby unambiguously establishing that accreting millisecond…

We present a 7 yr timing study of the 2.5 ms X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658, an X-ray transient with a recurrence time of ~2 yr, using data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer covering 4 transient outbursts (1998-2005). We verify that the…

We report on the serendipitous discovery of a new X-ray source, SAX J1802.7-2017, ~22' away from the bright X-ray source GX 9+1, during a BeppoSAX observation of the latter source on 2001 September 16-20. SAX J1802.7-2017 remained…

Dedicated monitoring of the transient X-ray pulsar XTE J1543-568 during the first year after its discovery has revealed the unambiguous detection of a binary orbit. The orbital period is 75.56+/-0.25 d, and the projected semi-major axis…

We have performed detailed numerical calculations of the non-conservative evolution of close X-ray binary systems with intermediate-mass (2.0-6.0 M_sun) donor stars and a 1.3 M_sun accreting neutron star. We calculated the thermal response…

A blue and variable optical counterpart of the X-ray transient XTE J0929-314 was identified on 2002 May 1. We conducted frequent BVRI broadband photometry on this object using the Mt Canopus 1-m telescope during May and June until it had…

We report the detection of orbital modulation, a model solution, and X-ray properties of a newly discovered contact binary, 2MASS J11201034$-$2201340. We serendipitously found this X-ray point source outside the error ellipse when searching…

Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are generally agreed to originate in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), in which mass transfer onto the neutron stars spins them up to their observed, fast rotation. The lack of MSPs and LMXBs rotating near break-up…

Weakly magnetic, millisecond spinning neutron stars attain their very fast rotation through a 1E8-1E9 yr long phase during which they undergo disk-accretion of matter from a low mass companion star. They can be detected as accretion-powered…