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Evolutionary pathways and radio-emission origin across related systems

Characterize the evolutionary connections among long-period radio transients, white dwarf pulsars, and magnetic cataclysmic variables (polars), and determine the origin of the radio emission in these systems.

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Background

Recent discoveries include LPTs with optical counterparts identified as white dwarf + M-dwarf binaries (with orbital periods matching radio periodicity) and white dwarf pulsars that emit beamed radiation. Proposed links suggest LPTs could be evolved stages of white dwarf pulsars, possibly transitioning to magnetic cataclysmic variables during episodes of mass transfer.

The authors explicitly state that both the evolutionary paths connecting these classes and the physical origin of their radio emission remain unsettled due to the limited number of sources and sparse multi-wavelength data.

References

However, given the very limited number of LPT and WD pulsar discoveries, the evolutionary path of these systems and the origin of the radio emission are still uncertain.

— ASKAP J144834-685644: a newly discovered long period radio transient detected from radio to X-rays (2507.13453 - Anumarlapudi et al., 17 Jul 2025) in Section 1, Introduction