The Neutron Star Mass, Distance, and Inclination from Precision Timing of the Brilliant Millisecond Pulsar J0437-4715
Abstract The observation of neutron stars enables the otherwise impossible study of fundamental physical processes. The timing of binary radio pulsars is particularly powerful, as it enables precise characterization of their (three-dimensional) positions and orbits. PSR J0437–4715 is an important millisecond pulsar for timing array experiments and is also a primary target for the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). The main aim of the NICER mission is to constrain the neutron star equation of state by inferring the compactness ( M p / R ) of the star. Direct measurements of the mass M p from pulsar timing therefore substantially improve constraints on the radius R and the equation of state. Here we use observations spanning 26 yr from Murriyang, the 64 m Parkes radio telescope, to improve the timing model for this pulsar. Among the new precise measurements are the pulsar mass M p = 1.418 ± 0.044 M ⊙ , distance D = 156.96 ± 0.11 pc, and orbital inclination angle i = 137.°506 ± 0.°016, which can be used to inform the X-ray pulse profile models inferred from NICER observations. We demonstrate that these results are consistent between multiple data sets from the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA), each modeled with different noise assumptions. Using the longest available PPTA data set, we measure an apparent second derivative of the pulsar spin frequency and discuss how this can be explained either by kinematic effects due to the proper motion and radial velocity of the pulsar or excess low-frequency noise such as a gravitational-wave background.
Authors
- Chris Flynn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1110-0712)
- Saurav Mishra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5633-3512)
- R. M. Shannon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7285-6348)
- Daniel J. Reardon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2035-4688)
- Craig Russell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1942-7296)
- R. N. Manchester (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9445-5732)
- N. D. R. Bhat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8383-5059)
- Yi Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0475-7479)
- Xiao-Jin Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2187-4087)
- Zu-Cheng Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7016-9934)
- Mohsen Shamohammadi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3977-708X)
- Matthew T. Kerr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0893-4073)
- Jacob Askew (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9845-5443)
- Rami Mandow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5131-522X)
- M. Bailes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3294-3081)
- G. Hobbs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1502-100X)
- Andrew Zic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9583-2947)
- Agastya Kapur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5071-0962)
- M. Curyło (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7031-4828)
- Lei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8539-4237)
Institutions
- United States Naval Research Laboratory (US)
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU)
- Australia Telescope National Facility (AU)
- Australian Research Council (AU)
- Hunan Normal University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Curtin University (AU)
- Beijing Normal University (CN)
- Zhejiang Lab (CN)
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (AU)
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (AU)
- National Astronomical Observatories (CN)
- University of Warsaw (PL)
- Swinburne University of Technology (AU)
- Macquarie University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Published
- 2024-08-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad614a
- Citations
- 51
- Primary Topic
- Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 16.91
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Australian Government
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- National Natural Science Foundation of China