: Some compact objects observed in gravitational wave events have masses in the gap between known neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs). The nature of these mass gap objects is unknown, as is the formation of their host binary systems. We report pulsar timing observations made with the Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) of PSR J0514-4002E, an eccentric binary millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster NGC 1851. We found a total binary mass of 3.887 ± 0.004 solar masses (M⊙), and multiwavelength observations show that the pulsar's binary companion is also a compact object. The companion's mass (2.09 to 2.71 M⊙, 95% confidence interval) is in the mass gap, indicating either a very massive NS or a low-mass BH. We propose that the companion formed in a merger between two earlier NSs.
A pulsar in a binary with a compact object in the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes / Barr, Ewan D.; Dutta, Arunima; Freire, Paulo C. C.; Cadelano, Mario; Gautam, Tasha; Kramer, Michael; Pallanca, Cristina; Ransom, Scott M.; Ridolfi, Alessandro; Stappers, Benjamin W.; Tauris, Thomas M.; Venkatraman Krishnan, Vivek; Wex, Norbert; Bailes, Matthew; Behrend, Jan; Buchner, Sarah; Burgay, Marta; Chen, Weiwei; Champion, David J.; Chen, C.-H. Rosie; Corongiu, Alessandro; Geyer, Marisa; Men, Y. P.; Padmanabh, Prajwal Voraganti; Possenti, Andrea. - In: SCIENCE. - ISSN 0036-8075. - ELETTRONICO. - 383:6680(2024), pp. 275-279. [10.1126/science.adg3005]
A pulsar in a binary with a compact object in the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes
Cadelano, Mario;Pallanca, Cristina;
2024
Abstract
: Some compact objects observed in gravitational wave events have masses in the gap between known neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs). The nature of these mass gap objects is unknown, as is the formation of their host binary systems. We report pulsar timing observations made with the Karoo Array Telescope (MeerKAT) of PSR J0514-4002E, an eccentric binary millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster NGC 1851. We found a total binary mass of 3.887 ± 0.004 solar masses (M⊙), and multiwavelength observations show that the pulsar's binary companion is also a compact object. The companion's mass (2.09 to 2.71 M⊙, 95% confidence interval) is in the mass gap, indicating either a very massive NS or a low-mass BH. We propose that the companion formed in a merger between two earlier NSs.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
