학술논문

A pulsar in a binary with a compact object in the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes.
Document Type
Article
Source
Science. 1/19/2024, Vol. 383 Issue 6680, p275-279. 5p. 3 Color Photographs, 2 Graphs.
Subject
*BLACK holes
*NEUTRON stars
*BINARY pulsars
*GLOBULAR clusters
*GRAVITATIONAL waves
*PULSARS
Language
ISSN
0036-8075
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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]