Periodic radio and X-ray emission from an accreting white dwarf binary
吸积白矮星双星的周期性射电与X射线辐射
Long-period radio transients (LPTs) are coherent bursts of polarized radio emission that repeat periodically on timescales of minutes to hours. Little is known about the physical origins of these systems. Astronomers have proposed magnetars that rotate slowly and white dwarfs that rapidly orbit with a companion star as potential explanations. While several recent examples appear to support the latter hypothesis, the mechanism generating these bright radio pulses remains poorly understood. Here we report our discovery and classification of the LPT ASKAP J174508.9-505149 as an accreting white dwarf binary. This object has an ~1.3 h spectroscopic orbital period and exhibits orbitally modulated X-ray emission and radio bursts. These elliptically polarized radio bursts drift in emission frequency, potentially due to a longer beat period, and turn off for several hours at a time. Some LPTs have been associated with non-interacting white dwarf binaries. We have spectroscopically confirmed this system as an accreting cataclysmic variable, identified through characteristic optical emission lines and an ongoing X-ray outburst. Our results strengthen the link between at least some LPTs and white dwarf binaries.
展开 ▾将长周期射电暂现源证认为吸积激变变星,并观测到椭圆偏振、频率漂移的射电暴及持续数小时的关闭现象,强化了部分LPT与白矮星双星的关联。
此前长周期射电暂现源的起源主要有慢自转磁星与快速绕转白矮星双星两类猜想。已有LPT样本中部分与非相互作用白矮星双星成协,但射电脉冲产生机制尚不清楚。本研究通过光谱与X射线观测确认 ASKAP J174508.9-505149 为正在X射线爆发的吸积激变变星,将白矮星双星解释扩展到含物质吸积的相互作用系统。未来结合多波段时变监测与偏振观测,有望进一步厘清LPT射电辐射机制并检验白矮星双星统一图景。
接收 2026-05-06 · 刊出 2026-06-01 · 收录 2026-08-24