Pulsar Timing Constraints on Cumulative and Individual Mass of Stars in the Galactic Center

Abstract

We consider the time derivatives of the period $P$ of pulsars at the Galactic Center due to variations in their orbital Doppler shifts. We show that in conjunction with a measurement of a pulsar's proper motion and its projected separation from the supermassive black hole, Sgr A*,measuring two of the three derivatives $\dot{P}$, $\ddot{P}$, or $\stackrel{...}{P}$ sets a constraint that allows for the recovery of the complete six phase space coordinates of the pulsar's orbit, as well as the enclosed mass within the orbit. Thus, one can use multiple pulsars at different distances from Sgr A* to determine the radial mass distribution of stars and stellar remnants at the Galactic center. Furthermore, we consider the effect of passing stars on the pulsar's period derivatives and show how it can be exploited to measure the characteristic stellar mass in the Galactic Center.

arXiv comment6 pages, 5 figures; including additional discussion on the contribution of individual stars

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Detecting Stellar Lensing of Gravitational Waves with Ground-Based Observatories
• High precision pulsar timing and spin frequency second derivatives