Seminars at FGG
Tackling the diversity of millisecond pulsars with TNG/SiFAP2
Speaker: Giulia Illiano (INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (Italy))
Date and time: 2025-01-28 11:00
High-time-resolution detectors have played a crucial role in advancing our understanding of neutron stars, enabling precise measurements of their properties. While high-time resolution astronomy is well-established at radio wavelengths and in high- and very-high-energy bands, progress in the optical band has lagged until recently. SiFAP2, a state-of-the-art high-speed optical photometer permanently mounted at the 3.6m INAF Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in the Canary Islands, has paved the way for significant breakthroughs in optical observations of neutron stars. The discovery potential of SiFAP2 became evident with the detection of the first two optical millisecond pulsars, rapidly rotating neutron stars in tight binary systems. These findings challenge standard emission models and call for innovative explanations. In this talk, I will present these groundbreaking discoveries and the studies undertaken to uncover the physical origin of optical millisecond pulsations. I will also discuss ongoing efforts to exploit the higher photon counting statistics in the optical band compared to higher energies to study fast variability in other astrophysical systems, along with exciting future prospects offered by the enhanced eSiFAP instrument.