Timing Analysis of the 2022 Outburst of the Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658: Hints of an Orbital Shrinking

We present a pulse timing analysis of NICER observations of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 during the outburst that started on 2022 August 19. Similar to previous outbursts, after decaying from a peak luminosity of ≃1 × 1036 erg s-1 in about a week, the pulsar entered a ~1 month long reflaring stage. Comparison of the average pulsar spin frequency during the outburst with those previously measured confirmed the long-term spin derivative of ν˙SD=−(1.15±0.06)×10−15 Hz s-1, compatible with the spin-down torque of a ≈1026 G cm3 rotating magnetic dipole. For the first time in the last twenty years, the orbital phase evolution shows evidence for a decrease of the orbital period. The long-term behavior of the orbit is dominated by an ~11 s modulation of the orbital phase epoch consistent with a ~21 yr period. We discuss the observed evolution in terms of a coupling between the orbit and variations in the mass quadrupole of the companion star.