The High Time Resolution Universe Pulsar Survey - IV. Discovery and polarimetry of millisecond pulsars

Keith MJ;Johnston S;Bailes M;Bates SD;Bhat NDR;Burgay M;Burke Spolaor S;D'AMICO, NICOLO';Jameson A;Kramer M;Levin L;Milia S;Possenti A;Stappers BW;van Straten W;Parent D.

2012-01-01

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Abstract

We present the discovery of six millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the High Time Resolution Universe (HTRU) survey for pulsars and fast transients carried out with the Parkes radio telescope. All six are in binary systems with approximately circular orbits and are likely to have white dwarf companions. PSR J1017-7156 has a high flux density and a narrow pulse width, making it ideal for precision timing experiments. PSR J1446-4701 and PSR J1125-5825 are coincident with gamma-ray sources, and folding the high-energy photons with the radio timing ephemeris shows evidence of pulsed gamma-ray emission. PSR J1502-6752 has a spin period of 26.7 ms, and its low period derivative implies that it is a recycled pulsar. The orbital parameters indicate it has a very low mass function, and therefore a companion mass much lower than usually expected for such a mildly recycled pulsar.