Prospects for Neutron Star Equation of State Constraints using "Recycled" Millisecond Pulsars
Abstract
Rotation-powered "recycled" millisecond pulsars are a variety of rapidly-spinning neutron stars that typically show thermal X-ray radiation due to the heated surface of their magnetic polar caps. Detailed numerical modeling of the rotation-induced thermal X-ray pulsations observed from recycled millisecond pulsars, including all relevant relativistic and stellar atmospheric effects, has been identified as a promising approach towards an astrophysical determination of the true neutron star mass-radius relation, and by extension the state of cold matter at densities exceeding those of atomic nuclei. Herein, I review the basic model and methodology commonly used to extract information regarding neutron star structure from the pulsed X-ray radiation observed from millisecond pulsars. I also summarize the results of past X-ray observations of these objects and the prospects for precision neutron star mass-radius measurements with the upcoming Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray timing mission.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1510.06371,
title = {Prospects for Neutron Star Equation of State Constraints using "Recycled" Millisecond Pulsars},
author = {Slavko Bogdanov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1510.06371},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
8 pages, 7 figures; invited contribution to the European Physics Journal A topical issue on "Exotic Matter in Neutron Stars"