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arxiv: 2606.20086 · v1 · pith:6PWVUZJMnew · submitted 2026-06-18 · 🌌 astro-ph.HE

A FAST search for radio pulsations during the dormant state of the AMSPs IGR J00291+5934 and MAXI J1957+032

Pith reviewed 2026-06-26 16:16 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification 🌌 astro-ph.HE
keywords accreting millisecond pulsarsradio pulsationsquiescent stateFAST observationspulsed flux densityupper limitsneutron star binariesX-ray binaries
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The pith

No radio pulsations detected from two accreting millisecond pulsars during quiescence, yielding the tightest upper limits yet.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper presents radio observations of two accreting millisecond pulsars taken when accretion appears to have stopped. It tests whether these systems, like some transitional millisecond pulsars, switch on as radio pulsars in their low-activity state. Data from the FAST telescope in the 1-1.5 GHz band showed no periodic signals at the known spin periods or at other frequencies. Upper limits on pulsed flux density reach 3.3 microJansky and 5.6 microJansky assuming a 10 percent duty cycle. These results constrain models of how accreting neutron stars evolve into isolated radio millisecond pulsars.

Core claim

No significant candidate signals for coherent periodicities were identified in the FAST L-band data for IGR J00291+5934 or MAXI J1957+032 at the known spin frequencies or elsewhere. The sources were observed in quiescence based on X-ray and optical upper limits. This non-detection translates to pulsed radio flux density upper limits of 3.3 μJy and 5.6 μJy respectively, the most stringent reported for any persistent accreting millisecond pulsar.

What carries the argument

Search for coherent periodic signals in FAST radio time series, with flux-density sensitivity calculated assuming a 10% pulse duty cycle.

If this is right

  • Persistent AMSPs may remain radio-quiet in quiescence, unlike some tMSPs.
  • These flux limits provide the strongest observational benchmark for radio emission models of dormant AMSPs.
  • The distinction in radio behavior between AMSPs and tMSPs is reinforced by the absence of detectable pulsations.
  • Deeper or multi-frequency observations would be needed to probe emission below the reported thresholds.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • If the non-detection holds, it may point to differences in magnetic field burial or spin evolution between persistent AMSPs and transitional systems.
  • Population synthesis models of recycled pulsars could be updated to account for a possible radio-silent phase in AMSP descendants.

Load-bearing premise

The sources were in a fully quiescent state with no accretion, as inferred from X-ray and optical upper limits.

What would settle it

Detection of pulsed radio emission above 3.3 μJy or 5.6 μJy at the spin frequency during simultaneous confirmation of X-ray quiescence.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2606.20086 by A. Anitra, A. Borghese, A. Marino, A. Papitto, A. Sanna, C. Espinoza, C. Kazantsev, D. M. Russell, E. Parent, F. Coti Zelati, G. Illiano, L. Burderi, M. C. Baglio, N. Rea, R. Iaria, R. Sathyaprakash, T. Di Salvo, X. Hou.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: Minimum detectable pulsed flux density S min computed us￾ing Eq 1 in our FAST data as a function of pulse duty cycle δ for IGR J00291+5934 (orange, dashed line) and MAXI J1957+032 (blue, dotted line) at the centre frequency (1250 MHz) of the receiver band. The shaded areas represent the range of S min when considering the vary￾ing sky temperature across the receiver. The assumed typical MSP duty cycle of 1… view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: Summary of radio detections/non-detections of AMSPs and tMSPs. In the top panels, we plot the measured value of S ν vs. the orbital period (a) and spin frequency (b), while in the bottom panels, the pseudo-luminosity is displayed with respect to the same variable (c-d). Sources belonging to different classes are highlighted with different marker styles, while different colors are used to specify the freque… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

Accreting millisecond pulsars (AMSPs) and transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) are neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries which can evolve into "recycled" radio millisecond pulsars. In both types of systems, X-ray pulsations have been detected during phases of X-ray activity when matter accretion through a disc is turned on. On the other hand, when accretion stops, and these systems enter the quiescent, low-luminosity X-ray state, only tMSPs become visible as radio pulsars. Despite several attempts, radio pulsations have never been detected in quiescent AMSPs, except for IGR J18245$-$2452. In this manuscript, we present the results of two observational campaigns performed on the AMSPs IGR J00291+5934 and MAXI J1957+032 with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope ($\it{FAST}$) in L-band (1-1.5 GHz). Both sources have most likely been observed in quiescence, as suggested by the upper limits on their X-ray and optical flux obtained with Swift and the Las Cumbres Observatory, respectively. We have performed a deep search for coherent periodicities in radio but found no significant candidate signal, either at the known spin frequency of those sources or at other frequencies. Assuming a pulse duty cycle of 10%, we derive upper limits on the pulsed radio flux density of 3.3 $\mu$Jy and 5.6 $\mu$Jy for IGR J00291+5934 and MAXI J1957+032, respectively, which are the most stringent limits so far for any known persistent AMSP.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

1 major / 1 minor

Summary. The paper reports results from FAST L-band observations of two persistent accreting millisecond pulsars (AMSPs), IGR J00291+5934 and MAXI J1957+032. The sources are inferred to have been observed in quiescence based on Swift X-ray and Las Cumbres optical upper limits. A search for coherent radio pulsations at the known spin frequencies and across a broader parameter space yielded no detections. Assuming a 10% pulse duty cycle, the authors derive pulsed flux-density upper limits of 3.3 μJy and 5.6 μJy, respectively, which they state are the most stringent limits obtained for any known persistent AMSP.

Significance. If the quiescence assumption holds, the non-detections and resulting upper limits provide the deepest constraints to date on radio pulsed emission from persistent AMSPs in the dormant state. This is useful for comparing AMSPs to transitional MSPs, which do show radio pulsations in quiescence, and for testing models of accretion-disk–magnetosphere interaction at low luminosities. The use of FAST enables sensitive searches, and the explicit non-detection at the known spin period is a clear observational result.

major comments (1)
  1. [Abstract, §2] Abstract and §2: The central claim that the derived upper limits constrain dormant-state radio emission rests on the sources having been observed in true quiescence. The manuscript infers this solely from Swift X-ray and Las Cumbres optical upper limits without providing a direct comparison to the sources’ previously established quiescent X-ray luminosities or simultaneous deeper X-ray monitoring. Residual accretion below these limits would place the observations outside the dormant regime, rendering the 3.3/5.6 μJy limits inapplicable to the headline claim.
minor comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] The assumption of a 10% duty cycle for the upper-limit calculation is stated but not justified against the range of duty cycles observed in other radio MSPs; a brief sensitivity analysis varying this parameter would improve robustness.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for their constructive comments on our manuscript. We address the major comment point-by-point below and will revise the paper accordingly where appropriate.

read point-by-point responses
  1. Referee: [Abstract, §2] Abstract and §2: The central claim that the derived upper limits constrain dormant-state radio emission rests on the sources having been observed in true quiescence. The manuscript infers this solely from Swift X-ray and Las Cumbres optical upper limits without providing a direct comparison to the sources’ previously established quiescent X-ray luminosities or simultaneous deeper X-ray monitoring. Residual accretion below these limits would place the observations outside the dormant regime, rendering the 3.3/5.6 μJy limits inapplicable to the headline claim.

    Authors: We agree that strengthening the quiescence argument with explicit comparisons improves the manuscript. In the revised version we will expand §2 to include direct comparisons between our Swift X-ray upper limits and the previously published quiescent X-ray luminosities for both sources (drawn from the literature). We will also add a brief discussion of the implications of non-simultaneous monitoring and the low probability of undetected residual accretion at the observed flux levels. These additions will make the dormant-state interpretation more robust while preserving the original claim that the observations were most likely in quiescence. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: upper limits follow directly from non-detection under stated assumptions

full rationale

The paper reports FAST L-band observations of two AMSPs, states that no significant periodic signals were found at the known spin periods or elsewhere, and derives pulsed-flux upper limits (3.3 μJy and 5.6 μJy) by applying a standard sensitivity calculation under an assumed 10% duty cycle. Quiescence is asserted on the basis of separate Swift X-ray and Las Cumbres optical upper limits; this is an external assumption about the accretion state rather than a self-referential step inside the radio analysis. No equations, parameter fits, or self-citations are invoked that reduce the reported limits to the inputs by construction. The result is therefore a direct observational bound and self-contained against external benchmarks.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

1 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central result rests on the assumption that the targets were in quiescence and on a standard 10% duty cycle for converting non-detection to flux limits. No new entities postulated.

free parameters (1)
  • pulse duty cycle = 10%
    Assumed value of 10% used to convert search sensitivity into pulsed flux density upper limits.
axioms (1)
  • domain assumption Sources were in quiescence during the radio observations
    Inferred from X-ray and optical upper limits; stated in abstract.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.1-grok · 5943 in / 1240 out tokens · 22634 ms · 2026-06-26T16:16:35.913665+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

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