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PreprintCC BY 4.0HAL

A NICER view of PSR J1614−2230: a massive and compact millisecond pulsar

  • Lucien Mauviard
  • Sebastien Guillot
  • Lami Suleiman
  • Yves Kini
  • Denis González-Caniulef
  • Christine Kazantsev
  • Pierre Stammler
  • Devarshi Choudhury
  • Bas Dorsman
  • Mariska Hoogkamer
  • Daniela Huppenkothen
  • Tuomo Salmi
8 more authors
  • Anna L Watts
  • Jérôme Novak
  • Natalie A Webb
  • Jean-Francois Olive
  • Matthew Kerr
  • Lucas Guillemot
  • Ismaël Cognard
  • Gilles Theureau
Open at sourcePDFDOICite

Abstract

Using pulse profile modeling, we obtain the mass-radius measurement of a millisecond pulsar (MSP) with data from the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR, XMM-Newton and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We report here the radius of PSR J1614−2230, the second most massive MSP confirmed by radio timing. All of the data sets are well described by a simple model composed of two circular hot spots. The final result yields an equatorial radius of Req=10.06 +1.25−0.87km, and a gravitational mass of M=1.937+0.012−0.013 M⊙ (equally tailed 68% credible intervals). Although a non-thermal component was previously reported at higher energies, we find no sign of it in either our phase-averaged or phase-resolved spectral analyses. Using new relations linking the compactness to oblateness or surface gravity, and tailored to the spin frequency of PSR J1614−2230, we infer a configuration with one hot spot near the pole, and another near the equator. The tight mass posterior is essentially informed by radio timing, while the radius constraint is not as tight due to the low source signal (8.5σ X-ray pulse significance). However, over all geometries and atmosphere models tested, the radius posterior tends toward low values (≲12.08km, 90th percentile in all cases).

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{mauviard2026nicer,
  title = {{A NICER view of PSR J1614$-$2230: a massive and compact millisecond pulsar}},
  author = {Lucien Mauviard and Sebastien Guillot and Lami Suleiman and Yves Kini and Denis González-Caniulef and Christine Kazantsev and Pierre Stammler and Devarshi Choudhury and Bas Dorsman and Mariska Hoogkamer and Daniela Huppenkothen and Tuomo Salmi and Anna L Watts and Jérôme Novak and Natalie A Webb and Jean-Francois Olive and Matthew Kerr and Lucas Guillemot and Ismaël Cognard and Gilles Theureau},
  howpublished = {HAL},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.00172},
  eprint = {2609.00172},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05758428v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - A NICER view of PSR J1614−2230: a massive and compact millisecond pulsar
AU  - Lucien Mauviard
AU  - Sebastien Guillot
AU  - Lami Suleiman
AU  - Yves Kini
AU  - Denis González-Caniulef
AU  - Christine Kazantsev
AU  - Pierre Stammler
AU  - Devarshi Choudhury
AU  - Bas Dorsman
AU  - Mariska Hoogkamer
AU  - Daniela Huppenkothen
AU  - Tuomo Salmi
AU  - Anna L Watts
AU  - Jérôme Novak
AU  - Natalie A Webb
AU  - Jean-Francois Olive
AU  - Matthew Kerr
AU  - Lucas Guillemot
AU  - Ismaël Cognard
AU  - Gilles Theureau
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
PB  - HAL
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.00172
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05758428v1
AB  - Using pulse profile modeling, we obtain the mass-radius measurement of a millisecond pulsar (MSP) with data from the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR, XMM-Newton and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We report here the radius of PSR J1614−2230, the second most massive MSP confirmed by radio timing. All of the data sets are well described by a simple model composed of two circular hot spots. The final result yields an equatorial radius of R_eq=10.06 ^+1.25_−0.87km, and a gravitational mass of M=1.937^+0.012_−0.013 M_⊙ (equally tailed 68% credible intervals). Although a non-thermal component was previously reported at higher energies, we find no sign of it in either our phase-averaged or phase-resolved spectral analyses. Using new relations linking the compactness to oblateness or surface gravity, and tailored to the spin frequency of PSR J1614−2230, we infer a configuration with one hot spot near the pole, and another near the equator. The tight mass posterior is essentially informed by radio timing, while the radius constraint is not as tight due to the low source signal (8.5σ X-ray pulse significance). However, over all geometries and atmosphere models tested, the radius posterior tends toward low values (≲12.08km, 90th percentile in all cases).
ER  -