Spider systems represent a unique category of binaries featuring rotation-powered millisecond pulsars orbiting low-mass stellar companions within short periods, ranging from a few hours to a day. The growing number of known sources, particularly through multiwavelength follow-up investigations of unidentified Fermi sources, has revealed a subset known as transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs). These tMSPs exhibit a fascinating phenomenon in which the neutron star (NS) transitions between a radio pulsar state and a faint low-mass X-ray binary state over the course of a few years. This unique behavior provides a rare opportunity in unraveling the interplay between winds and the recycling scenario central to the formation of millisecond pulsars.
Employing an Adaptative Mesh Refinement (AMR) code we perform 2D hydrodynamical (HD) simulations that consider the impact of gravity and orbital motion on the interaction between the flows from both stars.
By exploring the mass loss and launch speed of the winds, we successfully recreate two phenomenologically distinct regimes: the accretion stream and the pulsar radio state. We identify a tipping point that marks the sharp transition between these two states. Furthermore close to this tipping point we observe an unstable behavior prone to multiple transitions.
Our study sheds light on the crucial roles played by gravity and momentum ratio in shaping the diverse evolutionary phases observed in transitional millisecond pulsars. This research significantly contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate behaviors exhibited by these captivating celestial objects.