arXiv subjects

S. E. Thorsett

Publications and source records attributed to S. E. Thorsett.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv1997

Measurement of Relativistic Orbital Decay in the PSR B1534+12 Binary System

We have made timing observations of binary pulsar PSR B1534+12 with radio telescopes at Arecibo, Green Bank, and Jodrell Bank. By combining our new observations with data collected up to seven years earlier, we obtain a significantly improved solution for the astrometric, spin, and orbital parameters of the system. For the first time in any binary pulsar system, no fewer than five relativistic or "post-Keplerian" orbital parameters are measurable with useful accuracies in a theory-independent way. We find the orbital period of the system to be decreasing at a rate close to that expected from gravitational radiation damping, according to general relativity, although the precision of this test is limited to about 15% by the otherwise poorly known distance to the pulsar. The remaining post-Keplerian parameters are all consistent with one another and all but one of them have fractional accuracies better than 1%. By assuming that general relativity is the correct theory of gravity, at least to the accuracy demanded by this experiment, we find the masses of the pulsar and companion star each to be 1.339+-0.003 Msun and the system's distance to be d = 1.1+-0.2 kpc, marginally larger than the d ~ 0.7 kpc estimated from the dispersion measure. The increased distance reduces estimates of the projected rate of coalescence of double neutron-star systems in the universe, a quantity of considerable interest for experiments with terrestrial gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO.

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arXiv1997

Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Field of GRB970508

We report on Hubble Space Telescope observations of the optical transient discovered in the error box of GRB970508. The object was imaged on 1997 June 2 with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer. The observations reveal a point-like source with R = 23.1 +- 0.2 and H = 20.6 +- 0.3, in agreement with the power-law temporal decay seen in previous ground-based monitoring. Unlike the case of GRB970228, no nebulosity is detected surrounding the OT of GRB970508, although Mg I absorption and [O II] emission seen in Keck spectra at a redshift of z = 0.835 suggest the presence of a dense, star-forming medium. The HST observations set very conservative upper limits of R ~24.5 and H ~22.2 on the brightness of any underlying extended source. If this subtends a substantial fraction of an arcsecond, then the R band limit is ~25.5. Subsequent photometry suggests a flattening of the light curve at later epochs. Assuming the OT decline follows a pure power-law and ascribing the flattening to the presence of an underlying component of constant flux, we find that this must have R = 25.4, consistent with the upper limits determined by HST. At z = 0.8, this would correspond to an absolute magnitude in the U band of ~-18, similar to that of the Large Magellanic Cloud. We propose a scenario in which the host galaxy of the GRB is of Magellanic type, possibly being a ``satellite'' of one of the bright galaxies located at few arcseconds from the optical transient.

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arXiv1996

The Gravitational Constant, the Chandrasekhar Limit, and Neutron Star Masses

The Chandrasekhar mass limit sets the scale for the late evolutionary stages of massive stars, including the formation of neutron stars in core collapse supernovae. Because its value depends on the gravitational constant G, the masses of these neutron stars retain a record of past values of G. Using Bayesian statistical techniques, I show that measurements of the masses of young and old neutron stars in pulsar binaries limit \dot G/G=(-0.6 \pm 2.0) x 10^-12 yr^-1 (68% confidence) or \dot G/G=(-0.6 \pm 4.2) x 10^-12 yr^-1 (95% confidence).

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arXiv1996

Orbital Parameters of the PSR B1620-26 Triple System

Previous timing data for PSR~B1620$-$26 were consistent with a second companion mass $m_2$ anywhere in the range $\sim10^{-3}-1\,M_\odot$, i.e., from a Jupiter-type planet to a star. We present the latest timing parameters for the system, including a significant change in the projected semi-major axis of the inner binary, a marginal detection of the fourth time derivative of the pulse frequency, and the pulsar proper motion (which is in agreement with published values for the proper motion of M4), and use them to further constrain the mass $m_2$ and the orbital parameters. Using the observed value of $\stackrel{\ldots.}{f}$, we obtain a one-parameter family of solutions, all with $m_2 \lo 10^{-2}\,M_\odot$, i.e., excluding stellar masses. Varying $\stackrel{\ldots.}{f}$ within its formal $1σ$ error bar does not affect the mass range significantly. However, if we vary $\stackrel{\ldots.}{f}$ within a $4σ$ error bar, we find that stellar-mass solutions are still possible. We also calculate the predicted rate of change of the projected semi-major axis of the inner binary and show that it agrees with the measured value.

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arXiv1995

Terrestrial Implications of Cosmological Gamma-Ray Burst Models

The observation by the BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory that gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are distributed isotropically around the Earth but nonuniformly in distance has led to the widespread conclusion that GRBs are most likely to be at cosmological distances, making them the most luminous sources known in the Universe. If bursts arise from events that occur in normal galaxies, such as neutron star binary inspirals, then they will also occur in our Galaxy about every hundred thousand to million years. The gamma-ray flux at the Earth due to a Galactic GRB would far exceed that from even the largest solar flares. The absorption of this radiation in the atmosphere would substantially increase the stratospheric nitric oxide concentration through photodissociation of N$_2$, greatly reducing the ozone concentration for several years through NO$_x$ catalysis, with important biospheric effects due to increased solar ultraviolet flux. A nearby GRB may also leave traces in anomalous radionuclide abundances.

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arXiv1993

The Masses of Two Binary Neutron Star Systems

The measurement or constraint of the masses of neutron stars and their binary companions tests theories of neutron star structure and of pulsar formation and evolution. We have measured the rate of the general relativistic advance of the longitude of periastron for the pulsar PSR B1802$-$07: $\dotω=0\fdg060\pm0\fdg009\,\mbox{yr}^{-1}$, which implies a total system mass, pulsar plus companion star, of $M=1.7\pm0.4\,\Msun$. We also present a much improved measurement of the rate of periastron advance for PSR B2303+46: $\dotω= 0\fdg0099\pm0\fdg0002\,\mbox{yr}^{-1}$, implying $M=2.53\pm0.08\,\Msun$ for this system. We discuss the available constraints on distribution of mass between the pulsars and their companions, and we compare the pulsar masses with other determinations of neutron star masses.

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