Abstract
PSR J0740+6620 has a gravitational mass of 2.08 ± 0.07
M
⊙
, which is the highest reliably determined mass of any neutron star. As a result, a measurement of its radius will provide unique ...insight into the properties of neutron star core matter at high densities. Here we report a radius measurement based on fits of rotating hot spot patterns to Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) and X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM-Newton) X-ray observations. We find that the equatorial circumferential radius of PSR J0740+6620 is
13.7
−
1.5
+
2.6
km (68%). We apply our measurement, combined with the previous NICER mass and radius measurement of PSR J0030+0451, the masses of two other ∼2
M
⊙
pulsars, and the tidal deformability constraints from two gravitational wave events, to three different frameworks for equation-of-state modeling, and find consistent results at ∼1.5–5 times nuclear saturation density. For a given framework, when all measurements are included, the radius of a 1.4
M
⊙
neutron star is known to ±4% (68% credibility) and the radius of a 2.08
M
⊙
neutron star is known to ±5%. The full radius range that spans the ±1
σ
credible intervals of all the radius estimates in the three frameworks is 12.45 ± 0.65 km for a 1.4
M
⊙
neutron star and 12.35 ± 0.75 km for a 2.08
M
⊙
neutron star.
Neutron stars are not only of astrophysical interest, but are also of great interest to nuclear physicists because their attributes can be used to determine the properties of the dense matter in ...their cores. One of the most informative approaches for determining the equation of state (EoS) of this dense matter is to measure both a star's equatorial circumferential radius Re and its gravitational mass M. Here we report estimates of the mass and radius of the isolated 205.53 Hz millisecond pulsar PSR J0030+0451 obtained using a Bayesian inference approach to analyze its energy-dependent thermal X-ray waveform, which was observed using the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). This approach is thought to be less subject to systematic errors than other approaches for estimating neutron star radii. We explored a variety of emission patterns on the stellar surface. Our best-fit model has three oval, uniform-temperature emitting spots and provides an excellent description of the pulse waveform observed using NICER. The radius and mass estimates given by this model are km and (68%). The independent analysis reported in the companion paper by Riley et al. explores different emitting spot models, but finds spot shapes and locations and estimates of Re and M that are consistent with those found in this work. We show that our measurements of Re and M for PSR J0030+0451 improve the astrophysical constraints on the EoS of cold, catalyzed matter above nuclear saturation density.
Abstract
In recent years our understanding of the dense matter equation of state (EOS) of neutron stars has significantly improved by analyzing multimessenger data from radio/X-ray pulsars, ...gravitational wave events, and from nuclear physics constraints. Here we study the additional impact on the EOS from the jointly estimated mass and radius of PSR J0740+6620, presented in Riley et al. by analyzing a combined data set from X-ray telescopes NICER and XMM-Newton. We employ two different high-density EOS parameterizations: a piecewise-polytropic (PP) model and a model based on the speed of sound in a neutron star (CS). At nuclear densities these are connected to microscopic calculations of neutron matter based on chiral effective field theory (EFT) interactions. In addition to the new NICER data for this heavy neutron star, we separately study constraints from the radio timing mass measurement of PSR J0740+6620, the gravitational wave events of binary neutron stars GW190425 and GW170817, and for the latter the associated kilonova AT2017gfo. By combining all these, and the NICER mass–radius estimate of PSR J0030+0451, we find the radius of a 1.4
M
⊙
neutron star to be constrained to the 95% credible ranges
12.33
−
0.81
+
0.76
km
(PP model) and
12.18
−
0.79
+
0.56
km
(CS model). In addition, we explore different chiral EFT calculations and show that the new NICER results provide tight constraints for the pressure of neutron star matter at around twice saturation density, which shows the power of these observations to constrain dense matter interactions at intermediate densities.
We report on Bayesian parameter estimation of the mass and equatorial radius of the millisecond pulsar PSR J0030+0451, conditional on pulse-profile modeling of Neutron Star Interior Composition ...Explorer X-ray spectral-timing event data. We perform relativistic ray-tracing of thermal emission from hot regions of the pulsar's surface. We assume two distinct hot regions based on two clear pulsed components in the phase-folded pulse-profile data; we explore a number of forms (morphologies and topologies) for each hot region, inferring their parameters in addition to the stellar mass and radius. For the family of models considered, the evidence (prior predictive probability of the data) strongly favors a model that permits both hot regions to be located in the same rotational hemisphere. Models wherein both hot regions are assumed to be simply connected circular single-temperature spots, in particular those where the spots are assumed to be reflection-symmetric with respect to the stellar origin, are strongly disfavored. For the inferred configuration, one hot region subtends an angular extent of only a few degrees (in spherical coordinates with origin at the stellar center) and we are insensitive to other structural details; the second hot region is far more azimuthally extended in the form of a narrow arc, thus requiring a larger number of parameters to describe. The inferred mass M and equatorial radius Req are, respectively, 1.34 − 0.16 + 0.15 M and 12.71 − 1.19 + 1.14 km , while the compactness GM R eq c 2 = 0.156 − 0.010 + 0.008 is more tightly constrained; the credible interval bounds reported here are approximately the 16% and 84% quantiles in marginal posterior mass.
Both the mass and radius of the millisecond pulsar PSR J0030+0451 have been inferred via pulse-profile modeling of X-ray data obtained by NASA's Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) ...mission. In this Letter we study the implications of the mass-radius inference reported for this source by Riley et al. for the dense matter equation of state (EoS), in the context of prior information from nuclear physics at low densities. Using a Bayesian framework we infer central densities and EoS properties for two choices of high-density extensions: a piecewise-polytropic model and a model based on assumptions of the speed of sound in dense matter. Around nuclear saturation density these extensions are matched to an EoS uncertainty band obtained from calculations based on chiral effective field theory interactions, which provide a realistic description of atomic nuclei as well as empirical nuclear matter properties within uncertainties. We further constrain EoS expectations with input from the current highest measured pulsar mass; together, these constraints offer a narrow Bayesian prior informed by theory as well as laboratory and astrophysical measurements. The NICER mass-radius likelihood function derived by Riley et al. using pulse-profile modeling is consistent with the highest-density region of this prior. The present relatively large uncertainties on mass and radius for PSR J0030+0451 offer, however, only a weak posterior information gain over the prior. We explore the sensitivity to the inferred geometry of the heated regions that give rise to the pulsed emission, and find a small increase in posterior gain for an alternative (but less preferred) model. Lastly, we investigate the hypothetical scenario of increasing the NICER exposure time for PSR J0030+0451.
The central compact objects are a newly emerging class of young neutron stars near the centre of supernova remnants. From X-ray timing and spectral measurements, their magnetic fields are determined ...to be ∼1010-1011 G, which is significantly lower than that found on most pulsars. Using the latest electrical and thermal conductivity calculations, we solve the induction equation to determine the evolution of a buried crustal or core magnetic field. We apply this model of a buried field to explain the youth and low observed magnetic field of the central compact objects. We obtain constraints on their birth magnetic field and depth of submergence (or accreted mass). Measurement of a change in the observed magnetic field strength would discriminate between the crustal and core fields and could yield uniquely the birth magnetic field and submergence depth. If we consider the central compact objects as a single neutron star viewed at different epochs, then we constrain the magnetic field at birth to be ∼(6-9) × 1011 G. A buried magnetic field can also explain their location in an underpopulated region of the spin period-period derivative plane for pulsars.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
We discuss the role of dynamical tidal effects for inspiraling neutron star binaries, focusing on features that may be considered “unmodeled” in gravitational-wave searches. In order to cover the ...range of possibilities, we consider (i) individual oscillation modes becoming resonant with the tide, (ii) the elliptical instability, where a pair of inertial modes exhibit a nonlinear resonance with the tide, and (iii) the nonresonant p-g instability which may arise as high-order pressure (p) and gravity (g) modes in the star couple nonlinearly to the tide. In each case, we estimate the amount of additional energy loss that needs to be associated with the dynamical tide in order for the effect to impact on an observed gravitational-wave signal. We explore to what extent the involved neutron star physics may be considered known and how one may be able to use observational data to constrain theory.
Full text
Available for:
CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
Abstract
We analyse observations of eight quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries in globular clusters and combine them to determine the neutron star mass–radius curve and the equation of state of dense ...matter. We determine the effect that several uncertainties may have on our results, including uncertainties in the distance, the atmosphere composition, the neutron star maximum mass, the neutron star mass distribution, the possible presence of a hotspot on the neutron star surface, and the prior choice for the equation of state of dense matter. The distance uncertainty is implemented in a new Gaussian blurring method that can be directly applied to the probability distribution over mass and radius. We find that the radius of a 1.4 solar mass neutron star is most likely from 10 to 14 km and that tighter constraints are only possible with stronger assumptions about the nature of the neutron stars, the systematics of the observations, or the nature of dense matter. Strong phase transitions in the equation of state are preferred, and in this case, the radius is likely smaller than 12 km. However, radii larger than 12 km are preferred if the neutron stars have uneven temperature distributions.
The cooling rate of young neutron stars (NSs) gives direct insight into their internal makeup. Although the temperatures of several young NSs have been measured, until now a young NS has never been ...observed to decrease in temperature over time. We fit nine years of archival Chandra ACIS spectra of the likely NS in the {approx}330 yr old Cassiopeia A supernova remnant with our non-magnetic carbon atmosphere model. Our fits show a relative decline in the surface temperature by 4% (5.4{sigma}, from (2.12 {+-} 0.01) x 10{sup 6} K in 2000 to (2.04 {+-} 0.01) x 10{sup 6} K in 2009) and the observed flux by 21%. Using a simple model for NS cooling, we show that this temperature decline could indicate that the NS became isothermal sometime between 1965 and 1980, and constrains some combinations of neutrino emission mechanisms and envelope compositions. However, the NS is likely to have become isothermal soon after formation, in which case the temperature history suggests episodes of additional heating or more rapid cooling. Observations over the next few years will allow us to test possible explanations for the temperature evolution.
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