AR Sco VLA radio observations

DOI

AR Scorpii is unique amongst known white dwarf binaries in showing powerful pulsations extending to radio frequencies. Here we aim to investigate the multi-frequency radio emission of AR Sco in detail, in order to constrain its origin and emission mechanisms. We present interferometric radio frequency imaging of AR Sco at 1.5, 5 and 9GHz, analysing the total flux and polarization behaviour of this source at high time resolution (10, 3 and 3s), across a full 3.6h orbital period in each band. We find strong modulation of the radio flux on the orbital period and the orbital sideband of the white dwarf's spin period (also known as the "beat" period). This indicates that, like the optical flux, the radio flux arises predominantly from on or near the inner surface of the M-dwarf companion star. The beat-phase pulsations of AR Sco decrease in strength with decreasing frequency. They are strongest at 9GHz and at an orbital phase ~0.5. Unlike the optical emission from this source, radio emission from AR Sco shows weak linear polarization but very strong circular polarization, reaching ~30% at an orbital phase ~0.8. We infer the probable existence of a non-relativistic cyclotron emission component, which dominates at low radio frequencies. Given the required magnetic fields, this also likely arises from on or near the M-dwarf.

Identifier
DOI http://doi.org/10.26093/cds/vizier.36110066
Source https://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/lp/custom/CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/611/A66
Related Identifier https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/611/A66
Related Identifier http://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/611/A66
Metadata Access http://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/pmh/pubreg.xml?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_b2find&identifier=ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/611/A66
Provenance
Creator Stanway E.R.; Marsh T.R.; Chote P.; Gaensicke B.T.; Steeghs D.,Wheatley P.J.
Publisher CDS
Publication Year 2018
Rights https://cds.unistra.fr/vizier-org/licences_vizier.html
OpenAccess true
Contact CDS support team <cds-question(at)unistra.fr>
Representation
Resource Type Dataset; AstroObjects
Discipline Astrophysics and Astronomy; Exoplanet Astronomy; Natural Sciences; Observational Astronomy; Physics; Stellar Astronomy