From the multiwavelength astrophysical observations of Pulsars, information about its global structure (Mass or Radius) can be obtained
If pulsars are in binary with another pulsar, or another compact object, they show effects due to its strong gravity beyond simple Kepler's laws
From these effects, masses of pulsars in binary can be determined very accurately
Radius measurements depend on the detection of thermal emission from the surface of the star, & suffer from inaccuracies due to unknown factors like distance
A recent breakthrough came with the launch of the NICER mission. This can measure pulsar radii to 5% accuracies ! 👏🤓
From the precession (wobble) of pulsars, one can also determine its rotational inertia, which in turn depends on its mass & radius
Identifying spectral lines & the effect of strong gravity on them can also reveal the compactness of the pulsar, which is the ratio of its mass & radius
But why are we bothered about #Pulsar mass & radius? 🧐 I will explain in the next post how they reveal all about its interior composition!
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.