The Companion of M4a: A Planet or a Star?

dc.creatorSigurdsson, Steinn
dc.date1994-06-01
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T02:19:12Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T02:19:12Z
dc.descriptionThe $\ddot P$ (Backer 1992, Backer et al. 1993, Thorsett et al. 1993) observed for PSR~B1620-26 in the globular cluster M4 is most likely due to external gravitational jerk from a bound companion. Solving for the $\ddot P$ observed, constrained by the observed $\dot P$, two natural solutions are a jovian mass in a $\gtorder 10 \ AU, e=0.3-0.5$ orbit, or a solar mass companion in a $\sim 50 \ AU$ highly eccentric orbit (Michel 1994, Rasio 1994). If the companion is solar mass, the system must be young, and its location outside the cluster core is somewhat of a mystery. If the companion is planetary, it was either exchanged with the secondary, or angular momentum transport in excretion disks and planet formation is extraordinarily efficient. The implications for planet formation around stellar systems are potentially profound.
dc.description3 pages, uuencoded postscript file including 1 figure. Lick Observatory Preprint Series No. 26. To appear in "Millisecond Pulsars: A decade of discovery" proc. Aspen Winter Workshop, 1994
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9406003
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9406003
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/9773
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleThe Companion of M4a: A Planet or a Star?
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