A pulsar in a binary with a compact object in the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes

Journal
Date Issued
2024
Author(s)
Barr, Ewan D.
•
Dutta, Arunima
•
Freire, Paulo C. C.
•
•
Gautam, Tasha
•
Kramer, Michael
•
•
Ransom, Scott M.
•
•
Stappers, Benjamin W.
•
Tauris, Thomas M.
•
Venkatraman Krishnan, Vivek
•
Wex, Norbert
•
Bailes, Matthew
•
Behrend, Jan
•
Buchner, Sarah
•
•
Chen, Weiwei
•
Champion, David J.
•
Chen, C. -H. Rosie
•
•
Geyer, Marisa
•
Men, Y. P.
•
Padmanabh, Prajwal Voraganti
•
DOI
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....
Volume
383
Issue
6680
Start page
275
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0036-8075
Rights
open.access
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