PSR J1953+1844 Probably Being the Descendant of an Ultracompact X-Ray Binary

Abstract

PSR J1953+1844 (i.e., M71E) is a millisecond pulsar in a 53 minute binary orbit discovered by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. The mass function from pulsar timing is 2.3 × 10−7 M ⊙. The possible redback origin of this system has been discussed by Pan et al. We discuss here an alternative evolution track for this binary system, namely that PSR J1953+1844 is a descendant of an ultracompact X-ray binary (UCXB), which has a hydrogen-poor donor accreting onto a neutron star (NS) with an orbital period of ≤1 hr. We noticed that some UCXB systems hold an accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar (AMXP) and a donor with a mass of about 0.01 M ⊙. M71E has a very similar orbit to those of AMXPs, indicating that it might be evolved from a UCXB similar to PSR J1653–0158. The companion star of M71E should be significantly bloated and it most probably has a carbon and oxygen composition, otherwise a low inclination angle of the orbit is required for a helium companion. The discovery of this M71E binary system may shed light on when and how an NS in a UCXB turns into a radio pulsar.