Constraining the Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. II. Emission from Hot Spots on a Rapidly Rotating Neutron Star

Abstract

We describe the model of surface emission from a rapidly rotating neutron star that is applied to Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer X-ray data of millisecond pulsars in order to statistically constrain the neutron star mass-radius relation and dense matter equation of state. To ensure that the associated calculations are both accurate and precise, we conduct an extensive suite of verification tests between our numerical codes for both the Schwarzschild + Doppler and Oblate Schwarzschild approximations, and compare both approximations against exact numerical calculations. We find superb agreement between the code outputs, as well as in comparison against a set of analytical and semi-analytical calculations, which combined with their speed, demonstrates that the codes are well-suited for large-scale statistical sampling applications. A set of verified, high-precision reference synthetic pulse profiles is provided to the community to facilitate testing of other independently developed codes.

31 pages, 14 figures; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (9)

• PSR J0030+0451 Mass and Radius from NICER Data and Implications for the Properties of Neutron Star Matter
• A NICER View of PSR J0030+0451: Millisecond Pulsar Parameter Estimation
• Constraining the Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. I. The Millisecond Pulsar X-ray Data Set
• Pulse profiles of millisecond pulsars and their Fourier amplitudes
• The Oblate Schwarzschild Approximation for Light Curves of Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars
• Constraints on Neutron Star Properties from X-ray Observations of Millisecond Pulsars
• A model for the waveform behavior of accreting millisecond pulsars: Nearly aligned magnetic fields and moving emission regions
• Universality of the Acceleration Due to Gravity on the Surface of a Rapidly Rotating Neutron Star
• Thermal X-rays from Millisecond Pulsars: Constraining the Fundamental Properties of Neutron Stars

Cited by in corpus (108)

• PSR J0030+0451 Mass and Radius from NICER Data and Implications for the Properties of Neutron Star Matter
• A NICER View of PSR J0030+0451: Millisecond Pulsar Parameter Estimation
• A NICER View of the Massive Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 Informed by Radio Timing and XMM-Newton Spectroscopy
• Nonparametric constraints on neutron star matter with existing and upcoming gravitational wave and pulsar observations
• How well do we know the neutron-matter equation of state at the densities inside neutron stars? A Bayesian approach with correlated uncertainties
• A NICER View of the Nearest and Brightest Millisecond Pulsar: PSR J0437$\unicode{x2013}$4715
• An updated mass-radius analysis of the 2017-2018 NICER data set of PSR J0030+0451
• Impact of the PSR J0740+6620 radius constraint on the properties of high-density matter
• The Radius of the High-mass Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 with 3.6 yr of NICER Data
• Constraining the Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. I. The Millisecond Pulsar X-ray Data Set
• Astrophysical and theoretical physics implications from multimessenger neutron star observations
• Searches for Continuous-Wave Gravitational Radiation
• Supernova Muons: New Constraints on Z' Bosons, Axions, and ALPs
• Spontaneous scalarization
• The Radius of PSR J0740+6620 from NICER with NICER Background Estimates
• Effects of dark matter on the nuclear and neutron star matter
• Constraining the dense matter equation of state with new NICER mass-radius measurements and new chiral effective field theory inputs
• A NICER View of PSR J1231$-$1411: A Complex Case
• The Multipolar Magnetic Field of Millisecond Pulsar PSR J0030+0451
• Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Binary Neutron Star Mergers in General Relativity: Effects of Magnetic Field Orientation on Jet Launching
• Delta baryons and diquark formation in the cores of neutron stars
• Constraining the Neutron Star Mass--Radius Relation and Dense Matter Equation of State with NICER. III. Model Description and Verification of Parameter Estimation Codes
• Relativistic rotating vector model for X-ray millisecond pulsars
• Uncertainty limits on neutron star radius measurements with gravitational waves
• Status and perspectives of Continuous Gravitational Wave searches
• Analytic I-Love-C relations for realistic neutron stars
• Hierarchical Inference of Binary Neutron Star Mass Distribution and Equation of State with Gravitational Waves
• Impact of Rastall gravity on mass, radius and sound speed of the pulsar PSR J0740+6620
• Neutron Stars with Baryon Number Violation, Probing Dark Sectors
• Constraining the Properties of the Thermonuclear Burst Oscillation Source XTE J1814-338 Through Pulse Profile Modelling
• Effects of High Density Phase Transitions on Neutron Star Dynamics
• Confront $f(R,T)=\mathcal{R}+\beta T$ modified gravity with the massive pulsar PSR J0740+6620
• Tidal deformations of hybrid stars with sharp phase transitions and elastic crusts
• Neutron stars and the dense matter equation of state: from microscopic theory to macroscopic observations
• Generalized Rastall's gravity and its effects on compact objects
• Atmospheric Effects on Neutron Star Parameter Constraints with NICER
• Very long baseline astrometry of PSR J1012+5307 and its implications on alternative theories of gravity
• Large Eddy Simulations of Magnetized Mergers of Neutron Stars with Neutrinos
• The Radius of PSR J0740+6620 from NICER and XMM-Newton Data
• The surface of rapidly-rotating neutron stars: implications to neutron star parameter estimation
• Evolution of the dipole polarizability in the stable tin isotope chain
• Observational appearance of rapidly rotating neutron stars: X-ray bursts, cooling tail method, and radius determination
• Effects of $\varphi$-meson on properties of hyperon stars in density dependent relativistic mean field model
• Impact of massive neutron star radii on the nature of phase transitions in dense matter
• X-ray bounds on cooling, composition, and magnetic field of the Cassiopeia A neutron star and young central compact objects
• Probing elastic quark phases in hybrid stars with radius measurements
• Dense Matter in Neutron Stars with eXTP
• Statistical and systematic uncertainties in extracting the source properties of neutron star - black hole binaries with gravitational waves
• Constraints on the muon fraction and density profile in neutron stars
• Distinguishing double neutron star from neutron star-black hole binary populations with gravitational wave observations
• Oblate Schwarzschild approximation for polarized radiation from rapidly rotating neutron stars
• Magnetospheric return-current-heated atmospheres of rotation-powered millisecond pulsars
• Evidence for a multipolar magnetic field in SGR J1745-2900 from X-ray light-curve analysis
• BigApple force and its implications to finite nuclei and astrophysical objects
• X-PSI Parameter Recovery for Temperature Map Configurations Inspired by PSR J0030+0451
• Constraining scalar-tensor theories using neutron star mass and radius measurements
• $2.6M_{\odot }$ Compact Object and Neutron Stars within Eddington-Inspired Born-Infeld Theory of Gravity
• PSR J1231-1411 revisited: Pulse Profile Analysis of X-ray Observation
• The fate of twin stars on the unstable branch: implications for the formation of twin stars
• Polarized radiation from the spreading layer of the weakly magnetized neutron stars
• Neutron star parameter constraints for accretion-powered millisecond pulsars from the simulated IXPE data
• Probing fermionic asymmetric dark matter cores using global neutron star properties
• Tidal Deformability of Neutron Stars in Scalar-Tensor Theories of Gravity
• Cross-Comparison of Sampling Algorithms for Pulse Profile Modeling of PSR J0740+6620
• Nonparametric Representation of Neutron Star Equation of State Using Variational Autoencoder
• Skylight: a new code for general-relativistic ray-tracing and radiative transfer in arbitrary spacetimes
• Pulse Profile Modeling of Thermonuclear Burst Oscillations I: The Effect of Neglecting Variability
• Constraining Quadratic $f(R)$ Gravity from Astrophysical Observations of the Pulsar J0704+6620
• Using gravitational waves to distinguish between neutron stars and black holes in compact binary mergers
• Relativistic force-free models of the thermal X-ray emission in millisecond pulsars observed by NICER
• Polarized radiation from an accretion shock in accreting millisecond pulsars using exact Compton scattering formalism
• Effects from Dark Matter Halos on X-ray Pulsar Pulse Profiles
• Nuclear Symmetry Energy and Neutron Skin Thickness of ${}^{208}Pb$ using a finite range effective interaction
• Pulse Profile Modelling of Thermonuclear Burst Oscillations II: Handling variability
• Fundamental physics with neutron stars
• The Radius of PSR J0437-4715 from NICER Data
• Analytical external spherical solutions in entangled relativity
• Thermal x-ray studies of neutron stars and the equation of state
• Exploring Waveform Variations among Neutron Star Ray-tracing Codes for Complex Emission Geometries
• The Galactic population of magnetars : a simulation-based inference study
• Rotating Neutron Stars with the Relativistic Ab Initio Calculations
• Measuring Mass and Radius of the Maximum-mass Nonrotating Neutron Star
• Equation of State Independent Determination on the Radius of a 1.4 $M_{\odot }$ Neutron Star Using Mass-Radius Measurements
• Subtleties in constraining gravity theories with mass-radius data
• Equation-of-state-informed pulse profile modeling
• Nuclear incompressibility and its enduring impact on fusion cross-section
• Spheroidal force-free neutron star magnetospheres
• Modelling polarized X-ray pulses from accreting millisecond pulsars with X-PSI, using different hot spot locations and shapes
• Spheroidal magnetic stars rotating in vacuum
• Observational Constraints on the Pulsar Wind Model: The Cases of Crab and Vela
• Impact of Accretion Assumptions on Pulse Profile Modelling of Superburst Oscillations in 4U 1636-536
• Parameter constraints for accreting millisecond pulsars with synthetic NICER data
• Gravitational Redshift for Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars
• $f$-mode oscillations of compact stars with realistic equations of state in dynamical spacetime
• Scaling relations for the uncertainty in neutron star radius inferred from pulse profile modelling: the effect of spin rate
• Correlation between the curvature and some properties of the neutron star
• Rotating Neutron Stars with Dark Matter Halos
• BPS Skyrme neutron stars in generalized gravity
• Rapid Hierarchical Inference of Neutron Star Equation of State from multiple Gravitational Wave Observations of Binary Neutron Star Coalescences
• Probing of EoS with clusters and hypernuclei
• Exceeding the conformal limit inside rotating neutron stars: Implications to modified theories of gravity
• Pulse profile modelling of the accretion-powered millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 using NICER data from its 2019 and 2022 outbursts
• Neutron stars as extreme gravity probes
• A Counterintuitive Correlation Between Neutron-Star Radii Inferred from Pulse Modeling and Surface Emission Beaming
• The Galactic population of canonical pulsars
• Universal Relations for the Increase in the Mass and Radius of a Rotating Neutron Star
• Multiwavelength Analysis of PSR J0437-4715 with Pulse Profile Modeling
• Gamma-radiation sky maps from compact binaries