The PSR J0435+3233 Triple System
7 affiliations
- 1Chinese Academy of Sciences
- 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
- 3State Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy and Technology
- 4Zhejiang University
- 5Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
- 6Xiamen University
- 7Beijing Normal University
Abstract
The detailed evolution of triple star systems is complicated and poorly known. Using archived optical/infrared and gamma-ray data, we identified the pulsar PSR J0435+3233 as a gamma-ray pulsar in a hierarchical triple system, with a helium white dwarf (WD) as a close inner binary companion and a Sun-like star as the distant tertiary. PSR J0435+3233 and the WD companion are in a circular orbit with a period of P orb1 = 8.0 days and an eccentricity of e = 0.00016. The tertiary is a G-type subgiant with a mass of 0.98(12) M ⊙ at a distance of 2.1(4) kpc from the Earth. By simultaneously fitting the observed spin-period variations of the gamma-ray emission (over 16.7 yr) and radio emission (over 4.9 yr) from PSR J0435+3233, the changes in the inner orbital parameters, the Shapiro delay, Gaia astrometry, and the outer companion mass, we determined the outer elliptical orbit for the tertiary, with a period P orb2 = 73.5 yr and an eccentricity e ₂ = 0.598. The outer orbit is either nearly perpendicular to the inner orbit with a mutual inclination of ∼85 ∘ , or moderately inclined by ∼54 ∘ . For the former geometry, the pulsar, the WD, and the tertiary star have masses of 1.16(5) M ⊙ , 0.273(8) M ⊙ , and 0.91(5) M ⊙ , respectively; for the latter geometry, the corresponding masses are 1.34(15) M ⊙ , 0.305(23) M ⊙ , and 1.13(7) M ⊙ . This is a unique triple system for detailed multiband observations and for studying the evolutionary path and dynamic processes of a primordial triple star system. It will ultimately evolve into a system consisting of a neutron star and two WDs.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{yang2026j04353233,
title = {{The PSR J0435+3233 Triple System}},
author = {Z. L. Yang and J. L. Han and Yi Yan and Bin Liu and Y. L. Guo and M.K. Yang and Bo Wang and Wei-Min Gu and J. Li and L. H. Li and J. Xu and Jian-Ning Fu},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa29},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa29},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The PSR J0435+3233 Triple System
AU - Z. L. Yang
AU - J. L. Han
AU - Yi Yan
AU - Bin Liu
AU - Y. L. Guo
AU - M.K. Yang
AU - Bo Wang
AU - Wei-Min Gu
AU - J. Li
AU - L. H. Li
AU - J. Xu
AU - Jian-Ning Fu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa29
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeaa29
AB - The detailed evolution of triple star systems is complicated and poorly known. Using archived optical/infrared and gamma-ray data, we identified the pulsar PSR J0435+3233 as a gamma-ray pulsar in a hierarchical triple system, with a helium white dwarf (WD) as a close inner binary companion and a Sun-like star as the distant tertiary. PSR J0435+3233 and the WD companion are in a circular orbit with a period of P orb1 = 8.0 days and an eccentricity of e = 0.00016. The tertiary is a G-type subgiant with a mass of 0.98(12) M ⊙ at a distance of 2.1(4) kpc from the Earth. By simultaneously fitting the observed spin-period variations of the gamma-ray emission (over 16.7 yr) and radio emission (over 4.9 yr) from PSR J0435+3233, the changes in the inner orbital parameters, the Shapiro delay, Gaia astrometry, and the outer companion mass, we determined the outer elliptical orbit for the tertiary, with a period P orb2 = 73.5 yr and an eccentricity e ₂ = 0.598. The outer orbit is either nearly perpendicular to the inner orbit with a mutual inclination of ∼85 ∘ , or moderately inclined by ∼54 ∘ . For the former geometry, the pulsar, the WD, and the tertiary star have masses of 1.16(5) M ⊙ , 0.273(8) M ⊙ , and 0.91(5) M ⊙ , respectively; for the latter geometry, the corresponding masses are 1.34(15) M ⊙ , 0.305(23) M ⊙ , and 1.13(7) M ⊙ . This is a unique triple system for detailed multiband observations and for studying the evolutionary path and dynamic processes of a primordial triple star system. It will ultimately evolve into a system consisting of a neutron star and two WDs.
SN - 2041-8205
SN - 2041-8213
ER -