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Neutron star mass estimates from gamma-ray eclipses in spider millisecond pulsar binaries

Journal Article · · Nature Astronomy
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [3];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11];  [8];  [12];  [13];  [5];  [14];  [15];  [16];  [17] more »;  [2];  [18];  [4];  [19];  [20];  [5];  [21];  [22];  [5] « less
  1. Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Hannover (Germany); Leibniz Universität Hannover (Germany); Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom)
  2. Naval Research Lab. (NRL), Washington, DC (United States)
  3. Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn (Germany)
  4. Tata Inst. of Fundamental Research, Pune (India)
  5. Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom)
  6. Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) (France)
  7. South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, Cape Town (South Africa)
  8. Univ. d'Orleans (France); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) (France)
  9. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
  10. Naval Research Lab. (NRL), Washington, DC (United States); George Mason Univ., Fairfax, VA (United States)
  11. Univ. of Sheffield (United Kingdom); Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (Spain)
  12. Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom); University College Cork (Ireland)
  13. Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom); Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn (Germany)
  14. Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom); Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (Spain); University of La Laguna (Spain)
  15. Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Hannover (Germany); Leibniz Universität Hannover (Germany)
  16. Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
  17. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM (United States)
  18. Eureka Scientific, Oakland, CA (United States)
  19. Univ. of Bordeaux (France)
  20. Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom); Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC (Australia)
  21. New York University Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates); West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
  22. Univ. d'Orleans (France); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) (France); Paris Sciences et Lettres University (France)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Reliable neutron star mass measurements are key to determining the equation of state of cold nuclear matter, but such measurements are rare. Black widows and redbacks are compact binaries consisting of millisecond pulsars and semi-degenerate companion stars. Spectroscopy of the optically bright companions can determine their radial velocities, providing inclination-dependent pulsar mass estimates. Although inclinations can be inferred from subtle features in optical light curves, such estimates may be systematically biased due to incomplete heating models and poorly understood variability. Using data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope, we have searched for gamma-ray eclipses from 49 spider systems, discovering significant eclipses in 7 systems, including the prototypical black widow PSR B1957+20. Gamma-ray eclipses require direct occultation of the pulsar by the companion, and so the detection, or significant exclusion, of a gamma-ray eclipse strictly limits the binary inclination angle, providing new robust, model-independent pulsar mass constraints. For PSR B1957+20, the eclipse implies a much lighter pulsar (1.81 ± 0.07 solar masses) than inferred from optical light curve modelling.
Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
2471680
Journal Information:
Nature Astronomy, Journal Name: Nature Astronomy Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 7; ISSN 2397-3366
Publisher:
Springer NatureCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
compact astrophysical objects
high-energy astrophysics