What are the long-period radio transients? · revision history

Revision 2

Accepted · core change · record

Changes against revision 1:

Title
What are the long-period radio transients?
Plain
Radio telescopes have found, mostly since 2022, sources that pulse once every few minutes to hours, far slower than any known pulsar should still emit radio waves.
Precise · changed · core
Revision 1: Long-period radio transients (periods from $\sim 1\,\mathrm{min}$ to several hours, for example GCRT J1745-3009 at $77\,\mathrm{min}$, GLEAM-X J1627-52 at $18\,\mathrm{min}$ and GPM J1839-10 at $21\,\mathrm{min}$) emit coherent, highly polarized pulses below conventional pulsar death lines. Two, ILT J1101+5521 and GLEAM-X J0704-37, are white dwarf-M dwarf binaries. Determine whether all are white-dwarf systems or whether some are ultra-long-period magnetars, and identify the emission mechanism. Answer: a classification per source with a mechanism consistent with spin-down or binary energy budgets.
Revision 2: Long-period radio transients (periods from $\sim 1\,\min$ to several hours, for example GCRT J1745-3009 at $77\,\min$, GLEAM-X J1627-52 at $18\,\min$ and GPM J1839-10 at $21\,\min$) emit coherent, highly polarized pulses below conventional pulsar death lines. Two, ILT J1101+5521 and GLEAM-X J0704-37, are white dwarf-M dwarf binaries. Determine whether all are white-dwarf systems or whether some are ultra-long-period magnetars, and identify the emission mechanism. Answer: a classification per source with a mechanism consistent with spin-down or binary energy budgets.
Settled by
Optical and X-ray identification of counterparts and measured period derivatives for the isolated sources.
Kind
well-posed
Answer type
classification
References
(empty)
Literature status
partially-resolved
Status note
2024-2025: ILT J1101+5521 (2.1 h) and GLEAM-X J0704-37 (2.9 h) were shown to be white dwarf-M dwarf binaries, while ASKAP J1832-0911 (44 min) showed X-ray pulses at the radio period; the nature of sources without optical companions is debated.
Posed since
2005

Decisions