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Description
We present optical photometric and spectroscopic observations of the likely stellar counterpart to the unassociated Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) {gamma}-ray source 2FGL J0846.0+2820, selected for study based on positional coincidences of optical variables with unassociated LAT sources. Using optical spectroscopy from the SOAR telescope, we have identified a late-G giant in an eccentric (e=0.06) 8.133-day orbit with an invisible primary. Modeling the spectroscopy and photometry together led us to infer a heavy neutron star primary of ~2M_{sun}_ and a partially stripped giant secondary of ~0.8M_{sun}_. H{alpha} emission is observed in some of the spectra, perhaps consistent with the presence of a faint accretion disk. We find that the {gamma}-ray flux of 2FGL J0846.0+2820 dropped substantially in mid-2009, accompanied by an increased variation in the optical brightness, and since then, it has not been detected by Fermi. The long period and giant secondary are reminiscent of the {gamma}-ray bright binary 1FGL J1417.7-4407, which hosts a millisecond pulsar (MSP) apparently in the final stages of the pulsar recycling process. The discovery of 2FGL J0846.0+2820 suggests the identification of a new subclass of MSP binaries that are the likely progenitors of typical field MSPs.
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