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The orbital eccentricities of binary millisecond pulsars in globular clustersLow-mass binary millisecond pulsars (LMBPs) are born with very small orbital eccentricities, typically of order e(sub i) approximately 10(exp -6) to 10(exp -3). In globular clusters, however, higher eccentricities e(sub f) much greater than e(sub i) can be induced by dynamical interactions with passing stars. Here we show that the cross section for this process is much larger than previously estimated. This is becuse, even for initially circular binaries, the induced eccentricity e(sub f) for an encounter with pericenter separation r(sub p) beyond a few times the binary semimajor axis a declines only as a power law (e(sub f) varies as (r(sub p)/a)(exp -5/2), and not as an exponential. We find that all currently known LMBPs in clusters were probably affected by interactions, with their current eccentricities typically greater than at birth by an order of magnitude or more.
Document ID
19950056303
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Rasio, Frederic A.
(Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey United States)
Heggie, Douglas C.
(University of Edingburgh Edingburgh, United Kingdom)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1995
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal, Part 2 - Letters
Volume: 445
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0004-637X
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
95A87902
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-26555
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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