PSR J1614-2230 Research Articles

Relativistic Modeling of Charged Anisotropic Stars in a Buchdahl Spacetime

In this paper, we studied the behavior of relativistic objects with charged anisotropic matter distribution with a linear equation of state considering a metric potential proposed for Buchdahl (1959). The new solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell system of equations are found in term of elementary functions. A physical analysis of electromagnetic field indicates that is regular in the origin and well behaved. The new obtained models satisfy all physical requirements of a physically reasonable stellar object. The models are consistent with the upper limit on the mass of compact stars for PSR J1823-3021G, PSR J1748- 2446an and PSR J1518+4904.

Triple trouble with PSR J1618−3921: Mass measurements and orbital dynamics of an eccentric millisecond pulsar

Context. PSR J1618−3921 is one of five known millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in eccentric orbits (eMPSs) located in the Galactic plane, whose formation is poorly understood. Earlier studies of these objects revealed significant discrepancies between observations and predictions from standard binary evolution scenarios of pulsar-helium white dwarf (HeWD) binaries, especially in the case of PSR J0955−6150, for which mass measurements ruled out most eMSP formation models. Aims. We aim to measure the masses of the pulsar and its companion, and constrain the orbital configuration of PSR J1618−3921. This facilitates understanding similarities among eMSPs and could offer hints as to their formation mechanism. Methods. We conducted observations with the L-band receiver of the MeerKAT radio telescope and the UWL receiver of the Parkes Murriyang radio telescope between 2019 and 2021. These data were added to archival Parkes and Nançay observations. We performed a full analysis on this joint data set with a timing baseline of 23 years. We also used the data from recent observations to give a brief account of the emission properties of J1618−3921, including a rotating vector model (RVM) fit of the linear polarisation position angle of the pulsar. Results. From the timing analysis, we measure a small but significant proper motion of the pulsar. The long timing baseline allowed for a highly significant measurement of the rate of advance of periastron of ω̇ = (0.00145±0.00010)°yr−1. Despite the tenfold improvement in timing precision from MeerKAT observations, we can only report a low-significance detection of the orthometric Shapiro delay parameters, h3 = 2.70−1.47+2.07 μs and ς = 0.68−0.09+0.13. Under the assumption of the validity of general relativity (GR), the self-consistent combination of these three parameters leads to mass estimates of the total and individual masses in the binary of Mtot = 1.42−0.19+0.20 M⊙, Mc = 0.20−0.03+0.11 M⊙, and Mp = 1.20−0.20+0.19 M⊙. We detect an unexpected change in the orbital period of Ṗb = −2.26−0.33+0.35 × 10−12, that is an order of magnitude larger and carries an opposite sign to what is expected from the Galactic acceleration and the Shklovskii effect, which are a priori the only non-negligible contributions expected for Ṗb. We also detect a significant second derivative of the spin frequency, f̈. The RVM fit reveals a viewing angle of ζ = (111 ± 1)°. Furthermore, we report an unexpected, abrupt change in the mean pulse profile in June 2021 of unknown origin. Conclusions. We propose that the anomalous Ṗb and f̈ we measure for J1618−3921 indicate an additional varying acceleration due to a nearby mass. The J1618−3921 binary system is likely part of a hierarchical triple, but with the third component much farther away than the outer component of the MSP in a triple star system, PSR J0337+1715. This finding suggests that at least some eMSPs might have formed in triple star systems. Although the uncertainties are large, the binary companion mass is consistent with the Pb − MWD relation, which has been verified for circular HeWD binaries and also for the two HeWDs in the PSR J0337+1715 system. Future regular observations with the MeerKAT telescope will, due to the further extension of the timing baseline, improve the measurement of Ṗb and f̈. This will help us further understand the nature of this system, and perhaps improve our understanding of eMSPs in general.

MeerKAT observations of pair-plasma induced birefringence in the double pulsar eclipses

ABSTRACT PSR J0737−3039A/B is unique among double neutron star systems. Its near-perfect edge-on orbit causes the fast spinning pulsar A to be eclipsed by the magnetic field of the slow spinning pulsar B. Using high-sensitivity MeerKAT radio observations combined with updated constraints on the system geometry, we studied the impact of these eclipses on the incident polarization properties of pulsar A. Averaging light curves together after correcting for the rotation of pulsar B revealed enormous amounts of circular polarization and rapid changes in the linear polarization position angle, which occur at phases where emission from pulsar A is partially transmitted through the magnetosphere of pulsar B. These behaviours confirm that the eclipse mechanism is the result of synchrotron absorption in a relativistic pair-plasma confined to the closed-field region of pulsar B’s truncated dipolar magnetic field. We demonstrate that changes in circular polarization handedness throughout the eclipses are directly tied to the average line of sight magnetic field direction of pulsar B, from which we unambiguously determine the complete magnetic and viewing geometry of the pulsar.

Role of local anisotropy in hybrid stars

Using the Bower–Liang model, we discuss how pressure anisotropies affect the microscopic and macroscopic properties of hybrid stars. We find that anisotropies affect the maximum mass, central density, and radius of the canonical stars. Anisotropies also affect the minimum neutron star mass that presents quarks in their core, as well as the total amount of quarks for the maximally massive stars. We also confront our results with standard constraints, such as the radius and the tidal parameter of the canonical star, as well as the mass and radius of the PSR J0740+6620 pulsar. We observe that moderate values for anisotropies could fulfill these constraints simultaneously. On the other hand, within more extreme degrees of anisotropies, more speculative constraints such as black widow pulsars PSR J0952-0607 and the mass-gap object in the GW190814 event can be explained as hybrid stars. We also investigate the role of anisotropies in the neutron stars’ moment of inertia.

Anisotropic model observing pulsars from Neutron Star Interior Composition with modified Van der Waals equation of state

This paper is designed for heavy pulsars coming from the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer. The research model is describe by Einstein field equations for anisotropic fluid configuration with spherical symmetry. As per present perceptiveness, modified non-linear Van der Waals equation of state is used to relate physical variables. The continuity of inner and outer matter is obtained by comparing inner spacetime to outer Schwarzschild metric. The physical viability of this model is evaluated and further it is compared with observational data of pulsars PSR J0348+0432, PSR J0740+6620 and PSR J0030+0451. The model fulfils all physical and mathematical characteristics of the dense structure studies. It offers the factual proofs carried by evolution of celestial configurations. The working model presented here is physically viable and shows stable behaviour.

Upper Limit of Sound Speed in Nuclear Matter: A Harmonious Interplay of Transport Calculation and Perturbative Quantum Chromodynamic Constraint

Very recently, it has been shown that there is an upper bound on the squared sound speed of nuclear matter from the transport, which reads cs2≤0.781 . In this work, we demonstrate that this upper bound is corroborated by the reconstructed equation of state (EOS; modeled with a nonparametric method) for ultradense matter. The reconstruction integrates multimessenger observation for neutron stars, in particular, the latest radius measurements for PSR J0437–4715 ( 11.36−0.63+0.95 km), PSR J0030+0451 ( 11.71−0.83+0.88 km, in the ST+PDT model), and PSR J0740+6620 ( 12.49−0.88+1.28 km) by NICER have been adopted. The result shows in all cases, the cs2≤0.781 upper limit for EOS will naturally yield the properties of matter near the center of the massive neutron star consistent with the causality-driven constraint from pQCD, where, in practice, the density in implementing the pQCD likelihood (n L) is applied at 10ns (where ns is the nuclear saturation density). We also note that there is a strong correlation for the maximum c s 2 with n L, and cs2≤0.781 is somehow violated when n L = n c,TOV. The result indicates that a higher n L, even considering the uncertainties from statistics, is more natural. Moreover, the remarkable agreement between the outcomes derived from these two distinct and independent constraints (i.e., the transport calculation and pQCD boundary) lends strong support to their validity. In addition, the latest joint constraint for R 1.4, R 2.0, R 1.4 − R 2.0, and M TOV are 11.94−0.68+0.77 km, 11.99−0.67+0.88 km, −0.1−0.27+0.42 km, and 2.24−0.10+0.13M⊙ (at 90% credible level), respectively.

A More Precise Measurement of the Radius of PSR J0740+6620 Using Updated NICER Data

PSR J0740+6620 is the neutron star with the highest precisely determined mass, inferred from radio observations to be 2.08 ± 0.07 M ⊙. Measurements of its radius therefore hold promise to constrain the properties of the cold, catalyzed, high-density matter in neutron star cores. Previously, Miller et al. and Riley et al. reported measurements of the radius of PSR J0740+6620 based on Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) observations accumulated through 2020 April 17, and an exploratory analysis utilizing NICER background estimates and a data set accumulated through 2021 December 28 was presented in Salmi et al. Here we report an updated radius measurement, derived by fitting models of X-ray emission from the neutron star surface to NICER data accumulated through 2022 April 21, totaling ∼1.1 Ms additional exposure compared to the data set analyzed in Miller et al. and Riley et al., and to data from XMM-Newton observations. We find that the equatorial circumferential radius of PSR J0740+6620 is 12.92−1.13+2.09 km (68% credibility), a fractional uncertainty ∼83% the width of that reported in Miller et al., in line with statistical expectations given the additional data. If we were to require the radius to be less than 16 km, as was done in Salmi et al., then our 68% credible region would become R=12.76−1.02+1.49 km, which is close to the headline result of Salmi et al. Our updated measurements, along with other laboratory and astrophysical constraints, imply a slightly softer equation of state than that inferred from our previous measurements.

Indication of Sharp and Strong Phase Transitions from NICER Observations

In this Letter, we present a new, weakly model-dependent test for “standard” equation-of-state (EoS) models that disfavor sharp and strong phase transitions by using NS mass and radius observations. We show the radii of two NSs observed by NICER (PSR J0740+6620 and PSR 0030+0451) are correlated if these two NSs are built upon standard EoS models. The radii of NSs with different masses are sensitive to the pressures at different densities, and the pressures at different densities are strongly correlated in standard EoS models. We further show that the correlation of the NS radii can be significantly weakened when additional degrees of freedom concerning the first-order phase transitions are added into the EoSs. We propose a new quantity, D L, which measures the extent to which the linear correlation of the radii of two NSs is weakened. Our method gives a 48% identification probability (with a 5% false alarm rate) of finding beyond-standard EoS models in NICER observations. Future observations with higher measurement accuracy can confirm or rule out this identification. Our method is generalizable to any pair of NS masses and can be employed with other sets of observations in the future.

The Intrabinary Shock and Companion Star of Redback Pulsar J2215+5135

PSR J2215+5135 (J2215) is a “redback” spider pulsar, where the intrabinary shock (IBS) wraps around the pulsar rather than the stellar-mass companion. Spider orbital light curves are modulated, dominated by their binary companion thermal emission in the optical bands and by IBS synchrotron emission in the X-rays. We report on new XMM-Newton X-ray and U-band observations of J2215. We produce orbital light curves and use them to model the system properties. Our best-fit optical light model gives a neutron star mass M NS = 1.98 ± 0.08 M ⊙, lower than previously reported. However, uncertainty in the stellar atmosphere metallicity, a parameter to which J2215 is unusually sensitive, requires us to consider an acceptable systematic plus statistical range of M NS ∼ 1.85–2.3 M ⊙. From the X-ray analysis, we find that the IBS wraps around the pulsar but with a pulsar-wind-to-companion-wind-momentum ratio unusually close to unity, implying a flatter IBS geometry than seen in other spiders. Estimating the companion wind momentum and speed from the X-ray light curve, we find a companion mass-loss rate of Ṁc≳10−10M⊙ yr−1 so that J2215 may become an isolated millisecond pulsar in ∼1 Gyr. Our X-ray analyses place constraints on the magnetization and particle density of the pulsar wind and support models of magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in the highly magnetized relativistic IBS.

Short-term variability of the transitional pulsar candidate CXOU J110926.4−650224 from X-rays to infrared

CXOU J110926.4−650224 is a candidate transitional millisecond pulsar (tMSP) with X-ray and radio emission properties reminiscent of those observed in confirmed tMSPs in their X-ray ‘subluminous’ disc state. We present the results of observing campaigns that, for the first time, characterise the optical and near-infrared variability of this source and establish a connection with the mode-switching phenomenon observed in X-rays. The optical emission exhibited flickering activity, frequent dipping episodes where it appeared redder, and a multi-peaked flare where it was bluer. The variability pattern was strongly correlated with that of the X-ray emission. Each dip matched an X-ray low-mode episode, indicating that a significant portion of the optical emission originates from nearly the same region as the X-ray emission. The near-infrared emission also displayed remarkable variability, including a dip of 20 min in length during which it nearly vanished. Time-resolved optical spectroscopic observations reveal significant changes in the properties of emission lines from the disc and help infer the spectral type of the companion star to be between K0 and K5. We compare the properties of CXOU J110926.4−650224 with those of other tMSPs in the X-ray subluminous disc state and discuss our findings within the context of a recently proposed scenario that explains the phenomenology exhibited by the prototypical tMSP PSR J1023+0038.

The Radius of the High-mass Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 with 3.6 yr of NICER Data

We report an updated analysis of the radius, mass, and heated surface regions of the massive pulsar PSR J0740+6620 using Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) data from 2018 September 21 to 2022 April 21, a substantial increase in data set size compared to previous analyses. Using a tight mass prior from radio-timing measurements and jointly modeling the new NICER data with XMM-Newton data, the inferred equatorial radius and gravitational mass are 12.49−0.88+1.28 km and 2.073−0.069+0.069 M ⊙, respectively, each reported as the posterior credible interval bounded by the 16% and 84% quantiles, with an estimated systematic error ≲ 0.1 km. This result was obtained using the best computationally feasible sampler settings providing a strong radius lower limit but a slightly more uncertain radius upper limit. The inferred radius interval is also close to the R=12.76−1.02+1.49 km obtained by Dittmann et al., when they require the radius to be less than 16 km as we do. The results continue to disfavor very soft equations of state for dense matter, with R < 11.15 km for this high-mass pulsar excluded at the 95% probability. The results do not depend significantly on the assumed cross-calibration uncertainty between NICER and XMM-Newton. Using simulated data that resemble the actual observations, we also show that our pipeline is capable of recovering parameters for the inferred models reported in this paper.

New charged anisotropic solution in f(Q)-gravity and effect of non-metricity and electric charge parameters on constraining maximum mass of self-gravitating objects

In the present article, A new class of singularity-free charged anisotropic stars is derived in f(Q)-gravity regime. To solve the field equations, we assume a particular form of anisotropy along with an electric field and obtain a new exact solution in f(Q)-gravity. The explicit mathematical expression for the model parameters is derived by the smooth joining of the obtained solutions with the exterior Reissner–Nordstrom de-Sitter solution across the bounding surface of a compact star along with the requirement that the radial pressure vanishes at the boundary. We have modeled four self-gravitating pulsar objects such as LMC X-4, PSR J1903+327, PSR J1614-2230, and GW190814 in our current study and predict the radii of these objects that fall between 8 and 10 km. Furthermore, the physical validity of the solution is performed for self-gravitating object PSR J1614-2230 with mass 1.97±0.04M⊙\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$1.97\\pm 0.04~M_{\\odot }$$\\end{document} with radius 10 km. The solution successfully fulfills all the physical requirements along with the stability and hydrostatic equilibrium conditions for a well-behaved model. The non-metricity f(Q)-parameter χ1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\chi _{_1}$$\\end{document} and electric charge parameter η\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\eta $$\\end{document} play an important role in the maximum mass of the objects. The maximum mass increases when χ1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\chi _{_1}$$\\end{document} and η\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\eta $$\\end{document} increase but a non-collapsing stable object can be obtained when χ1≤0.0205\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\chi _{_1}\\le 0.0205$$\\end{document} and η≤0.0006\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\eta \\le 0.0006$$\\end{document}.

Spindown of Pulsars Interacting with Companion Winds: The Impact of Magnetospheric Compression

Pulsars in binary systems with strong companion winds can have the magnetopause separating their magnetosphere from the wind located well within their light cylinder. This bow-like enclosure effectively creates a waveguide that confines the pulsar’s electromagnetic fields and can significantly alter its spindown. In this paper, we study the spindown of compressed pulsar magnetospheres in such systems. We parameterize the confinement as the ratio between the equatorial position of the magnetopause (or standoff distance) R m and the pulsar’s light cylinder R LC. Using particle-in-cell simulations, we quantify the pulsar spindown for a range of compressions, R m/R LC = 1/3–1, and inclination angles, χ = 0°…90°, between magnetic and rotation axes. Our strongly confined models (R m/R LC = 1/3) show two distinct limits. For χ = 0°, the spindown of a compressed pulsar magnetosphere is enhanced by approximately a factor of three compared to an isolated pulsar due to the increased number of open magnetic field lines. Conversely, for χ = 90°, the compressed pulsar spins down at less than 40% of the rate of an isolated reference pulsar due to the mismatch between the pulsar wind stripe wavelength and the waveguide size. We apply our analysis to the 2.77 s oblique rotator (χ = 60°) in the double-pulsar system PSR J0737-3039. With the numerically derived spindown estimate, we constrain its surface magnetic field to B * ≈ (7.3 ± 0.2) × 1011 G. We discuss the time modulation of its period derivative, the effects of compression on its braking index, and implications for the radio eclipse in PSR J0737-3039.

Model of a charged compact star: A brief study in f(T) gravity

Using modified [Formula: see text] gravity and the diagonal tetrad, we propose a new kind of analytical solution to describe anisotropic charged stellar structures in this study. We obtain precise solutions by applying the linear form of [Formula: see text] as [Formula: see text] in the framework of Tolman–Kuchowicz physically sound metric potentials. The stellar structures of the compact star EXO 1785-248 are then investigated using the model by incorporating a linear equation of state relating the radial pressure [Formula: see text] and the matter density [Formula: see text]. We computed the closed-form expressions for the model parameters and illustrated their characteristics. The comprehensive graphical analysis demonstrates the scientific plausibility, causality, and dynamical stability of the model describing charged anisotropic stars. Finally, using the M-R curve, we estimate the numerical values of mass for different values of [Formula: see text]. The observational data of the neutron star candidates 4U 1820-30, PSR J1614-2230, and PSR J2215 + 5135 are covered by the maximum allowable masses for different values of [Formula: see text] additionally, when [Formula: see text], the charged compact star’s maximum permissible mass is calculated to be [Formula: see text], which could indicate the secondary component of the GW190814 event discovered by LIGO/VIRGO experiments.

Bose–Einstein Condensation dark matter models generated by gravitational decoupling

A study on massive compact objects influenced by Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) dark matter (DM) with a gravitational decoupling approach is presented within the context of f(Q) gravity, assuming a linear form of f(Q). In order to obtain physically valid solutions to the basic field equations of the decoupled systems, we take the Tolman IV potential ansatz for the seed system and the BEC-DM density profile for the new source into consideration. After that, we apply the boundary conditions on the decoupled system with Schwarzschild-de Sitter spacetime as the exterior metric. Eventually, we obtain a complete non-singular solution to the decoupled system, consisting of a strange stellar configuration with a BEC-DM density profile. All the physical properties, such as the effective energy density, pressure along the radial as well as the tangential direction, and anisotropy in the system, are rigorously investigated. Analyzing the stability conditions of the decoupled stellar configuration, we study mass–radius (M−R) relations with observational constraints related to the supermassive compact stars, such as PSR J0740+6620, PSR J2215+5135, GW190814, and GW200210, with observed masses larger than or equal to 2 M⊙. Notably, we examine the influence of DM on constraining the M−R measurements of the observed stars, which satisfy the MIT bag model equation of state as well as the condition of mimicking, i.e., ρθ=ρDM, in the background of f(Q) gravity. Interestingly, any possible conversion of massive compact stars to smaller black holes can be restrained, as the presence of a DM halo in the strange stellar system reduces the maximum mass effectively, as indicated by the M−R curves. This result regarding the maximum mass of the compact star can be associated with the astrophysical data concerning the mass gap of the events GW190814 and GW200210. Specifically, the present model predicts the radius for PSR J0740+6620 as 13.69−0.10+0.09 km, which nearly matches the NICER and XMM-Newton data.

Anisotropic Durgapal-Fuloria compact stars in f(R) gravity

This study presented a new exact solution for anisotropic compact stellar objects within the framework of f(R)=R+αR2 gravity. In this context, the Durgapal-Fuloria metric potential has been employed to solve the field equation derived for f(R) theory. Furthermore, we have derived the generalized Darmois-Israel junction condition necessary for seamlessly connecting the interior region to the Schwarzschild exterior metric across the boundary hypersurface of the star in the context of f(R) gravity, and the interior solution is matched with the Schwarzschild exterior metric over the bounding surface of a compact star. These junction conditions stipulate that the pressure must not be zero at the boundary and should be proportional to the non-linear terms of f(R) gravity, a crucial aspect often overlooked by many researchers when investigating compact stellar models. Additionally, we derived the values of these parameters by using observational data of various compact stars (CSs), namely Her X-1, SAX J1808.4-3658, SMC X-1, LMC X-4, Cen X-3, 4U 1820-30, PSR J1903+327, 4U 1608-52, Vela X-1, and PSR J1416-2230. This approach enables us to investigate the comprehensive analysis of solutions numerically and graphically. We conducted various physical tests, including gradient of energy density and pressures, anisotropy, stability, equilibrium conditions, energy-density constraints, mass function, compactness, redshift, and adiabatic index, to assess the feasibility of our models. Our findings demonstrate the consistent behavior of our models provides a satisfactory physical situation as far as the observational results are confirmed.

Periodicity search in the timing of the 25 millisecond pulsars from the second data release of the European pulsar timing array

Abstract In this work, we investigated the presence of strictly periodic, as well as quasi-periodic signals, in the timing of the 25 millisecond pulsars from the EPTA DR2 dataset. This is especially interesting in the context of the recent hints of a gravitational wave background in these data, and the necessary further study of red-noise timing processes, which are known to behave quasi-periodically in some normal pulsars. We used Bayesian timing models developed through the run_enterprise pipeline: a strict periodicity was modelled as the influence of a planetary companion on the pulsar, while a quasi-periodicity was represented as a Fourier-domain Gaussian process. We found that neither model would clearly improve the timing models of the 25 millisecond pulsars in this dataset. This implies that noise and parameter estimates are unlikely to be biased by the presence of a (quasi-)periodicity in the timing data. Nevertheless, the results for PSRs J1744−1134 and J1012+5307 suggest that the standard noise models for these pulsars may not be sufficient. We also measure upper limits for the projected masses of planetary companions around each of the 25 pulsars. The data of PSR J1909−3744 yielded the best mass limits, such that we constrained the 95-percentile to ∼2 × 10−4 M⊕ (roughly the mass of the dwarf planet Ceres) for orbital periods between 5 d–17 yr. These are the best pulsar planet mass limits to date.

Dark energy effects on surface gravitational redshift and Keplerian frequency of neutron stars

Abstract The research of the properties of neutron star with dark energy is a particularly interesting yet unresolved problem in astrophysics. We analyze the influence of dark energy on the equation of state, the maximum mass, the surface gravitational redshift and the Keplerian frequency for the traditional neutron star and the hyperon star matter within the relativistic mean field theory, using the GM1 and TM1 parameter sets by considering the two flavor symmetries of SU(6) and SU(3) combined with the observations of PSR J1614-2230, PSR J0348+0432, PSR J0030+0451, RX J0720.4-3125, and 1E 1207.4-5209. It is found that the existence of dark energy leads to the softened equations of state of the traditional neutron star and the hyperon star. The radius of a fixed mass traditional neutron star (or hyperon star) with dark energy becomes smaller, which leads to the increased compactness. The existence of dark energy can also enhance the surface gravitational redshift and the Keplerian frequency of the traditional neutron stars and the hyperon stars. The growth of the Keplerian frequency may cause speeding up to the spin rate which may provide a possible way for understanding and explaining the pulsar glitch phenomenon. Specifically, we infer that the mass and the surface gravitational redshift of PSR J1748-2446ad without dark energy for the GM1 (TM1) parameter set are 1.141 $M_\odot$ (1.309 $M_\odot$) and 0.095 (0.105), respectively. The corresponding values for the GM1 (TM1) parameter set are 0.901 $M_\odot$ (1.072$M_\odot$) and 0.079 (0.091) if PSR J1748-2446ad contains dark energy with $\alpha=0.05$. PSR J1748-2446ad may be a low-mass pulsar with a lower surface gravitational redshift under our selected models.

Bayesian inference of multi-messenger astrophysical data: Joint and coherent inference of gravitational waves and kilonovae

Context. Multi-messenger observations of binary neutron star mergers can provide information on the neutron star’s equation of state (EOS) above the nuclear saturation density by directly constraining the mass-radius diagram. Aims. We present a Bayesian framework for joint and coherent analyses of multi-messenger binary neutron star signals. As a first application, we analyze the gravitational-wave GW170817 and the kilonova (kN) AT2017gfo data. These results are then combined with the most recent X-ray pulsar analyses of PSR J0030+0451 and PSR J0740+6620 to obtain new EOS constraints. Methods. We extend the bajes infrastructure with a joint likelihood for multiple datasets, support for various semi-analytical kN models, and numerical-relativity (NR)-informed relations for the mass ejecta, as well as a technique to include and marginalize over modeling uncertainties. The analysis of GW170817 used the TEOBResumS effective-one-body waveform template to model the gravitational-wave signal. The analysis of AT2017gfo used a baseline multicomponent spherically symmetric model for the kN light curves. Various constraints on the mass-radius diagram and neutron star properties were then obtained by resampling over a set of ten million parameterized EOSs, which was built under minimal assumptions (general relativity and causality). Results. We find that a joint and coherent approach improves the inference of the extrinsic parameters (distance) and, among the intrinsic parameters, the mass ratio. The inclusion of NR-informed relations marks a strong improvement over the case in which an agnostic prior is used on the intrinsic parameters. Comparing Bayes factors, we find that the two observations are better explained by the common source hypothesis only by assuming NR-informed relations. These relations break some of the degeneracies in the employed kN models. The EOS inference folding-in PSR J0952-0607 minimum-maximum mass, PSR J0030+0451 and PSR J0740+6620 data constrains, among other quantities, the neutron star radius to R1.4TOV = 12.30− 0.56+ 0.81 km(R1.4TOV = 13.20− 0.90+ 0.91 km) and the maximum mass to MmaxTOV = 2.28− 0.17+ 0.25M⊙(MmaxTOV = 2.32− 0.19+ 0.30M⊙), where the ST+PDT (PDT-U) analysis of Vinciguerra et al. (2024, ApJ, 961, 62) for PSR J0030+0451 was employed. Hence, the systematics on the PSR J0030+0451 data reduction currently dominate the mass-radius diagram constraints. Conclusions. We conclude that bajes delivers robust analyses in line with other state-of-the-art results in the literature. Strong EOS constraints are provided by pulsars observations, albeit with large systematics in some cases. Current gravitational-wave constraints are compatible with pulsar constraints and can further improve the latter.

Modeling Compact Object Mergers GW190814 and GW200210 and Other Self-bound Compact Stars with Dark Matter Induced by Gravitational Decoupling and Its Significance to the Mass Gap

We present a rigorous study of compact objects within f(Q) gravity where electrical fields and dark matter are studied and provide novel mass–radius relations with models falling in the mass gap of the events GW190814 and GW200210. After formulating the basic equations and finding their relevant solutions, we impose the boundary conditions on the system under treatment. The decoupled solution for the strange stellar model with the dark matter density profile is obtained. The distribution patterns of the effective energy density and the radial as well as the tangential pressure and anisotropy in the system are intensively examined. The stability properties of the stellar configuration and the influence of dark matter are studied. The recent observations of supermassive compact star candidates such as PSR J1614–2230 and PSR J0952–0607 with observed masses greater than or equal to 2 M ⊙ have been employed in our study. Interestingly, the present study predicts the constraints on mass–radius measurements of the observed stars satisfying the equation of state based on the MIT bag model and employing the condition of mimicking, i.e., ρ θ = χ1ρPI in f(Q) gravity. Our graphical results exhibit that for a particular M–R curve with fixed values of the parameters, neutron stars having mass less than M max exist with larger radii within the context of the f(Q) formalism.