article published yes Kevin B. Burdge author Thomas R. Marsh author Jim Fuller author Eric C. Bellm author Ilaria Caiazzo author 8ae5b6e7-2a03-11ee-914d-b58ed7a3b47d0000-0002-4770-5388 Deepto Chakrabarty author Michael W. Coughlin author Kishalay De author V. S. Dhillon author Matthew J. Graham author Pablo Rodríguez-Gil author Amruta D. Jaodand author David L. Kaplan author Erin Kara author Albert K. H. Kong author S. R. Kulkarni author Kwan-Lok Li author S. P. Littlefair author Walid A. Majid author Przemek Mróz author Aaron B. Pearlman author E. S. Phinney author Jan van Roestel author Robert A. Simcoe author Igor Andreoni author Andrew J. Drake author Richard G. Dekany author Dmitry A. Duev author Erik C. Kool author Ashish A. Mahabal author Michael S. Medford author Reed Riddle author Thomas A. Prince author Over a dozen millisecond pulsars are ablating low-mass companions in close binary systems. In the original ‘black widow’, the eight-hour orbital period eclipsing pulsar PSR J1959+2048 (PSR B1957+20)1, high-energy emission originating from the pulsar2 is irradiating and may eventually destroy3 a low-mass companion. These systems are not only physical laboratories that reveal the interesting results of exposing a close companion star to the relativistic energy output of a pulsar, but are also believed to harbour some of the most massive neutron stars4, allowing for robust tests of the neutron star equation of state. Here we report observations of ZTF J1406+1222, a wide hierarchical triple hosting a 62-minute orbital period black widow candidate, the optical flux of which varies by a factor of more than ten. ZTF J1406+1222 pushes the boundaries of evolutionary models5, falling below the 80-minute minimum orbital period of hydrogen-rich systems. The wide tertiary companion is a rare low-metallicity cool subdwarf star, and the system has a Galactic halo orbit consistent with passing near the Galactic Centre, making it a probe of formation channels, neutron star kick physics6 and binary evolution. Springer Nature2022 eng Multidisciplinary 0028-0836 1476-4687 2205.02278 3550878110.1038/s41586-022-04551-1 605790841-45 yes Burdge, Kevin B., et al. “A 62-Minute Orbital Period Black Widow Binary in a Wide Hierarchical Triple.” <i>Nature</i>, vol. 605, no. 7908, Springer Nature, 2022, pp. 41–45, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1">10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1</a>. K.B. Burdge, T.R. Marsh, J. Fuller, E.C. Bellm, I. Caiazzo, D. Chakrabarty, M.W. Coughlin, K. De, V.S. Dhillon, M.J. Graham, P. Rodríguez-Gil, A.D. Jaodand, D.L. Kaplan, E. Kara, A.K.H. Kong, S.R. Kulkarni, K.-L. Li, S.P. Littlefair, W.A. Majid, P. Mróz, A.B. Pearlman, E.S. Phinney, J. van Roestel, R.A. Simcoe, I. Andreoni, A.J. Drake, R.G. Dekany, D.A. Duev, E.C. Kool, A.A. Mahabal, M.S. Medford, R. Riddle, T.A. Prince, Nature 605 (2022) 41–45. Burdge, K. B., Marsh, T. R., Fuller, J., Bellm, E. C., Caiazzo, I., Chakrabarty, D., … Prince, T. A. (2022). A 62-minute orbital period black widow binary in a wide hierarchical triple. <i>Nature</i>. Springer Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1</a> Burdge, Kevin B., Thomas R. Marsh, Jim Fuller, Eric C. Bellm, Ilaria Caiazzo, Deepto Chakrabarty, Michael W. Coughlin, et al. “A 62-Minute Orbital Period Black Widow Binary in a Wide Hierarchical Triple.” <i>Nature</i>. Springer Nature, 2022. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1</a>. Burdge KB, Marsh TR, Fuller J, et al. A 62-minute orbital period black widow binary in a wide hierarchical triple. <i>Nature</i>. 2022;605(7908):41-45. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1">10.1038/s41586-022-04551-1</a> K. B. Burdge <i>et al.</i>, “A 62-minute orbital period black widow binary in a wide hierarchical triple,” <i>Nature</i>, vol. 605, no. 7908. Springer Nature, pp. 41–45, 2022. Burdge KB, Marsh TR, Fuller J, Bellm EC, Caiazzo I, Chakrabarty D, Coughlin MW, De K, Dhillon VS, Graham MJ, Rodríguez-Gil P, Jaodand AD, Kaplan DL, Kara E, Kong AKH, Kulkarni SR, Li K-L, Littlefair SP, Majid WA, Mróz P, Pearlman AB, Phinney ES, Roestel J van, Simcoe RA, Andreoni I, Drake AJ, Dekany RG, Duev DA, Kool EC, Mahabal AA, Medford MS, Riddle R, Prince TA. 2022. A 62-minute orbital period black widow binary in a wide hierarchical triple. Nature. 605(7908), 41–45. 152112024-03-26T10:29:26Z2024-04-02T07:26:19Z