Search for Radio Pulsations from Neutron Star Candidates in Detached Binaries
Published in The Astrophysical Journal, 2026
Key Information
- Authors: Shi-Jie Gao, Xiang-Dong Li, Song Wang, Kareem El-Badry, De-Jiang Zhou, Yi-Xuan Shao, Zhen Yan, Pei Wang, Ping Zhou, Jin-Lin Han
- Journal: The Astrophysical Journal
- Year: 2026
- DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae2616
- NASA ADS: 2026ApJ…997..222G
- arXiv: 2511.20242
Abstract
Recent optical astrometric and spectroscopic surveys have identified numerous neutron star (NS) candidates in nonaccreting detached binary systems, but their compact-object nature remains unconfirmed. In this work, we present targeted radio observations of 31 such candidates using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, and the Shanghai TianMa Radio Telescope. Over a total of 46.65 hr of observing time, we detected neither periodic nor single-pulse radio emissions. These nondetections place stringent upper limits on the flux densities of any potential radio signals, reaching ∼4 μJy for periodic emission and ∼10 mJy for single pulses with FAST. Since our observations are highly sensitive and the flux density upper limits are well below the median fluxes of known Galactic pulsars, this suggests that geometric beaming is the most likely explanation for the nondetections if these objects are indeed pulsars. Alternatively, the NSs may be sufficiently old (≳10 Gyr) and have become intrinsically radio-quiet. In this case, our findings highlight the inherent difficulty of confirming NSs in such old detached binary systems through radio pulsation searches.