Volume 514 - High Energy Astrophysics in Southern Africa 2025 (HEASA2025) - Pulsars and Pulsar Wind Nebulae
MeerKAT observations of white dwarf pulsars
E. Meintjes*, P.A. Woudt, M. Geyer, I. Heywood, V. Prayag, B. Stappers, D.A. Buckley, M. Caleb, R. Fender and I. Pelisoli
*: corresponding author
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Pre-published on: December 04, 2025
Published on:
Abstract
White dwarf radio pulsars (WD pulsars) are a fascinating, newly established class of compact binary systems. These are defined as detached white dwarf + M dwarf compact binaries ($P_{\rm{orb}}\sim 4\,\text{hours}$) that exhibit pulsed multi-wavelength emission (from X-ray to radio) associated with a rapid rotation of the white dwarf. Only three such systems have been spectroscopically confirmed: AR Sco, J1912$-$4410 and J2306$+$2440. Since its discovery in 2016, AR Sco has spurred debate about the nature and origin of WD pulsars, particularly regarding the formation of their presumably strong magnetic fields. J1912$-$4410's radio emission is sharp and narrow, resembling that of a canonical pulsar much more than AR Sco does. It offers a crucial opportunity to refine our understanding of WD pulsar formation and of their place in the broader context of magnetic cataclysmic variable (mCV) evolution. Here, we demonstrate how MeerKAT’s 2-second timing resolution provides a powerful means of probing the nature of the pulsed radio emission from J1912$-$4410. We present the preliminary results of the first long-term monitoring of J1912$-$4410 at radio wavelengths --- in particular, we determine a precise white dwarf spin period of $5.32339264(40)\,$minutes and highlight the differences of its radio emission to that of AR Sco.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/1.514.0061
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