Timing of pulsars in the globular cluster omega centauri

Abstract

We present the timing of the first five millisecond pulsars discovered in the globular cluster Omega Centauri and the discovery of a pulsar with a spin period of 3.68 ms. With a timing baseline of ∼3.5 yr we are able to measure the derivative of the spin frequency (υ·) for the first five pulsars. Upper limits on the pulsar line-of-sight acceleration are estimated and compared with predictions based on analytical models of the cluster. We find that PSRs J1326-4728B and D show large negative accelerations, which are in tension with the minimum acceleration predicted by analytical models. We searched for pulsed γ-ray signals using 14.3 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Although we found no evidence for γ-ray pulsations, PSRs J1326-4728A, B, C, and E are associated with X-ray sources. This suggests that the observed γ-ray emission from Omega Centauri is likely caused by the emission of the ensemble of MSPs. Finally, the linearly polarized emission from PSR J1326-4728A yields a rotation measure of -18 ± 8 rad m-2