The Orbital Period of the Accreting Pulsar GX1+4

Abstract

We report strong evidence for a ~304-day periodicity in the spin history of the accretion-powered pulsar GX1+4 that is most probably associated with the orbital period of the system. We have used data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory to show a clear periodic modulation of the pulsar frequency from 1991 to date, in excellent agreement with the ephemeris proposed by Cutler, Dennis & Dolan (1986). Our results indicate that the orbital period of GX1+4 is 303.8 +- 1.1 days, making it the widest known low-mass X-ray binary system by more than one order of magnitude and putting this long-standing question to rest. A likely scenario for this system is an elliptical orbit in which the neutron star decreases its spin-down rate (or even exhibits a momentary spin-up behavior) at periastron passages due to the higher torque exerted by the accretion disk onto the magnetosphere of the neutron star. These results are not inconsistent with both the X-ray pulsed flux light curve measured by BATSE during the same epoch and the X-ray flux history from the All-Sky Monitor (ASM) onboard the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer.