PSR J0348+0432
Pulsar–white dwarf binary system in Taurus constellation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about PSR J0348+0432?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
PSR J0348+0432 is a pulsar–white dwarf binary system in the constellation Taurus. It was discovered in 2007 with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in a drift-scan survey.[2]
Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Taurus |
Right ascension | 03h 48m 43.639s[1] |
Declination | +04° 32′ 11.458″[1] |
Characteristics | |
Spectral type | Pulsar |
Astrometry | |
Radial velocity (Rv) | −1 ± 20[1] km/s |
Proper motion (μ) | RA: +4.04[1] mas/yr Dec.: +3.5[1] mas/yr |
Parallax (π) | 0.47 mas |
Distance | 2,100[1] pc |
Orbit | |
Primary | PSR J0348+0432 |
Companion | White dwarf |
Period (P) | 0.102424062722(7) day[1] |
Semi-major axis (a) | 832,000 km |
Inclination (i) | 40.2(6)° |
Details | |
Pulsar | |
Mass | 2.01[1] M☉ |
Radius | 13 ± 2 km[verification needed], 1.87(29) × 10-5 R☉ |
Rotation | 39.1226569017806 ms[1] |
Age | 2.6 × 109 years |
White dwarf | |
Mass | 0.172[1] M☉ |
Radius | 0.065 (5)[1] R☉ |
Other designations | |
PSR J0348+0432 | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | data |
In 2013, a mass measurement for this neutron star was announced: slightly over two times the mass of the Sun (2.01±0.04 M☉).[1] This measurement was done with a combination of radio timing and precise spectroscopy of the white dwarf companion. This is slightly higher than, but statistically indistinguishable from, the mass of PSR J1614−2230, which was measured using the Shapiro delay.[3] This measurement confirmed the existence of such massive neutron stars using a different measuring technique.
The notable feature of this binary pulsar is its combination of high neutron-star mass and short orbital period: 2 hours and 27 minutes. This allowed a measurement of the orbital decay due to the emission of gravitational waves, as observed for PSR B1913+16 and PSR J0737−3039.