Physical connection between evaporation-induced relation deviations and eccentric MSP–helium-white-dwarf systems

Determine whether the evaporation-induced deviations in the white-dwarf-mass–orbital-period relation of neutron-star–helium-white-dwarf binaries are physically connected to the eccentric millisecond-pulsar–helium-white-dwarf systems occupying a similar white-dwarf mass range.

Background

The paper models how millisecond-pulsar-driven evaporation alters the final properties of neutron-star binaries with helium-white-dwarf companions. Its calculations predict the largest deviations from the canonical white-dwarf-mass–orbital-period relation at low white-dwarf masses, particularly around 0.2–0.27 solar masses, where evaporation can produce systematically wider orbital periods and increased dispersion. The authors note that this mass interval overlaps with the regime occupied by several eccentric millisecond-pulsar–helium-white-dwarf systems, but they do not establish whether the two observational or theoretical phenomena share a physical origin. This unresolved connection could clarify whether evaporation contributes to the formation or present-day properties of eccentric millisecond-pulsar binaries.

References

Interestingly, the mass range showing the largest model dispersion broadly overlaps with that occupied by several eccentric MSP$+$He WD systems \citep{2022A&A...665A..53S}, although whether the two phenomena are physically connected remains unclear.

— The Influence of Evaporation on the Formation and Evolution of Huntsman Systems  (2609.00803 - Yang et al., 1 Sep 2026) in Section 4.1, subsection “The effect of evaporation on the white dwarf mass-orbital period relation”