Periodicity Search for Pulsar Binaries with TESS

Pulsar binaries, in particular redback systems, provide good sources to study the pulsar wind flow and its interaction with the companion stars. Fermi-LAT have proposed probable pulsar binary candidates in its catalogs. An orbital modulation search of binary candidates is an effective way to identify pulsar binary sources from the catalog. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observes in survey mode for a large part of the sky and thus provides an excellent data set for the periodicity search of pulsar binary candidates by observing the flux variation, thought to mainly come from the stellar companion. Using TESS data we look for flux modulation of five pulsar binaries (or candidates) with reported orbital periods, including PSR J1023+0038, 3FGL J0523.3−2528, 3FGL J0212.1+5320, 3FGL J0744.1−2523, and PSR J1417−4402, demonstrating that TESS photometric data are very useful in identifying periodicities of redback-like systems. This method can be effective in searches for new pulsar binaries or similar binary systems in the future.