The GBT 350-MHz Drift Scan Pulsar Survey III. Detection of a magnetic field in the eclipsing material of PSR J2256-1024

We present the first measurement of a non-zero magnetic field in the eclipsing material of a black widow pulsar. Black widows are millisecond pulsars which are ablating their companions; therefore they are often proposed as one potential source of isolated millisecond pulsars. PSR J2256–1024 is an eclipsing black widow discovered at radio wavelengths and later also observed in the X-ray and gamma parts of the spectrum. Here we present the radio timing solution for PSR J2256–1024; polarization profiles at 350, 820, and 1500 MHz; and an investigation of changes in the polarization profile due to eclipsing material in the system. In the latter we find evidence of Faraday rotation in the linear polarization shortly after eclipse, measuring a rotation measure of 0.44(6) rad m⁻² and a corresponding line-of-sight magnetic field of ∼1.11(16) mG.