2025 publications | All publications
SkyMapper Publication
SpiderCat: A Catalog of Compact Binary Millisecond Pulsars
Koljonen, Karri I. I. & Linares, Manuel, 2025, The Astrophysical Journal, 994, 8 | View on ADS (2025ApJ...994....8K)
Abstract
We present SpiderCat, a multiwavelength catalog of all publicly known compact binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the Galactic field. These systems, colloquially known as "spiders," consist of neutron stars in tight orbits with low-mass companions, which are gradually ablated by the pulsar wind. SpiderCat includes both primary subclasses—redbacks and black widows—distinguished by companion mass, as well as candidates and peculiar systems such as transitional, huntsman, and tidarren MSPs. As of this initial release, SpiderCat contains 111 entries: 30 redbacks, 50 black widows, two huntsmans, 23 redback candidates, five black widow candidates, and one huntsman candidate. In this paper, we compile and summarize key parameters for each system, including spin and orbital properties, and multiwavelength data from radio, optical, X-ray, and γ-ray observations. An interactive, publicly accessible web interface, at https://astro.phys.ntnu.no/SpiderCAT, enables exploration and visualization of the data. The rapid growth of the number of known spiders, accelerated by the Fermi Large Area Telescope survey and its ability to identify MSPs in γ rays, has opened the door to population-level studies. Utilizing SpiderCat, we analyze trends in spin period, orbital period, companion mass, emission properties, and spatial distribution. SpiderCat serves as a dynamic, multiwavelength repository for this unique class of binary pulsars, facilitating new discoveries and constraints on pulsar evolution, particle acceleration, and the neutron star equation of state.
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