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

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dc.contributor.authorClark, C. J.
dc.contributor.authorKerr, M.
dc.contributor.authorBarr, E. D.
dc.contributor.authorBhattacharyya, B.
dc.contributor.authorBreton, R. P.
dc.contributor.authorBruel, P.
dc.contributor.authorCamilo, F.
dc.contributor.authorChen, W.
dc.contributor.authorCognard, I.
dc.contributor.authorCromartie, H. T.
dc.contributor.authorDeneva, J.
dc.contributor.authorDhillon, V. S.
dc.contributor.authorGuillemot, L.
dc.contributor.authorKennedy, Mark R.
dc.contributor.authorKramer, M.
dc.contributor.authorLyne, A. G.
dc.contributor.authorMata Sánchez, D.
dc.contributor.authorNieder, L.
dc.contributor.authorPhillips, C.
dc.contributor.authorRansom, S. M.
dc.contributor.authorRay, P. S.
dc.contributor.authorRoberts, M. S. E.
dc.contributor.authorRoy, J.
dc.contributor.authorSmith, D. A.
dc.contributor.authorSpiewak, R.
dc.contributor.authorStappers, B. W.
dc.contributor.authorTabassum, S.
dc.contributor.authorTheureau, G.
dc.contributor.authorVoisin, G.
dc.contributor.funderHorizon 2020
dc.contributor.funderMax-Planck-Gesellschaft
dc.contributor.funderScience and Technology Facilities Council
dc.contributor.funderNational Aeronautics and Space Administration
dc.contributor.funderNational Science Foundation
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Council
dc.contributor.funderDepartment of Atomic Energy, Government of India
dc.contributor.funderEuropean Regional Development Fund
dc.contributor.funderConsejería de Educación, Universidades, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno de Canarias
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-07T16:08:17Z
dc.date.available2023-11-01T10:31:17Zen
dc.date.available2023-11-07T16:08:17Z
dc.date.issued2023-01-26
dc.date.updated2023-11-01T10:31:19Zen
dc.description.abstractReliable 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.
dc.description.sponsorshipDepartment of Atomic Energy, Government of India (Project no. 12-R&D-TFR-5.02-0700); Postdoctoral Fellow. NASA (NASA Hubble Fellowship Program grant no. HST-HF2-51453.001); Irish Research Council (GOIPD/2021/670: Invisible Monsters); National Science Foundation (Physics Frontiers Center award no. 1430284); European Regional Development Fund and the Canary Islands government (Grant no. PROID2020010104).
dc.description.statusPeer reviewed
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationClark, C. J., Kerr, M., Barr, E. D., Bhattacharyya, B., Breton, R. P., Bruel, P., Camilo, F., Chen, W., Cognard, I., Cromartie, H. T., Deneva, J., Dhillon, V. S., Guillemot, L., Kennedy, M. R., Kramer, M., Lyne, A. G., Mata Sánchez, D., Nieder, L., Phillips, C., Ransom, S. M., Ray, P. S., Roberts, M. S. E., Roy, J., Smith, D. A., Spiewak, R., Stappers, B. W., Tabassum, S., Theureau, G. and Voisin, G. (2023) 'Neutron star mass estimates from gamma-ray eclipses in spider millisecond pulsar binaries', Nature Astronomy, 7, pp. 451-462. doi: 10.1038/s41550-022-01874-x
dc.identifier.doi10.1038/s41550-022-01874-xen
dc.identifier.eissn2397-3366
dc.identifier.endpage462
dc.identifier.journaltitleNature Astronomy
dc.identifier.startpage451
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/15201
dc.identifier.volume7
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature Ltd.
dc.relation.projectinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020::ERC::ERC-STG/715051/EU/Fundamental Physics Using Black Widow, Redback and Transitional Pulsar Binaries/Spiders
dc.rights© 2023, the Authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectReliable neutron star mass measurements
dc.subjectEquation of state of cold nuclear matter
dc.subjectBlack Widows
dc.subjectRedbacks
dc.titleNeutron star mass estimates from gamma-ray eclipses in spider millisecond pulsar binariesen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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