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Searching for X-ray Pulsations from Neutron Stars Using NICER

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2018

Paul S. Ray ,
Zaven Arzoumanian ,
Keith C. Gendreau  and
for the NICER Working Group on Pulsation Searches and Multiwavelength Coordination
Paul S. Ray
Affiliation:
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5352 email: paul.ray@nrl.navy.mil
Zaven Arzoumanian
Affiliation:
NASA/GSFC Greenbelt, MD 20771
Keith C. Gendreau
Affiliation:
NASA/GSFC Greenbelt, MD 20771
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Abstract

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The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) presents an exciting new capability for exploring the modulation properties of X-ray emitting neutron stars, including large area, low background, extremely precise absolute event time stamps, superb low-energy response and flexible scheduling. The Pulsation Searches and Multiwavelength Coordination working group has designed a 2.5 Ms observing program to search for emission and characterize the modulation properties of about 30 known or suspected neutron star sources across a number of source categories. A key early goal will be to search for pulsations from millisecond pulsars that might exhibit thermal pulsations from the surface suitable for pulse profile modeling to constrain the neutron star equation of state. In addition, we will search for pulsations from transitional millisecond pulsars, isolated neutron stars, low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), accretion-powered millisecond pulsars, central compact objects and other sources. We present our science plan and initial results from the first months of the NICER mission, including the discovery of pulsations from the millisecond pulsar J1231–1411.

Keywords

space vehicles: instrumentspulsars: general(stars:) pulsars: individual (PSR J1231–1411)stars: neutronX-rays: binaries
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 13 , Symposium S337: Pulsar Astrophysics the Next Fifty Years , September 2017 , pp. 187 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2018 

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