PSR J0348+0432
Artist's impression of the pulsar PSR J0348+0432 and its white dwarf companion | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Right ascension | 03h 48m 43.639s |
| Declination | +04° 32′ 11.46″ |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | Pulsar |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | −1±20 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: +4.04 mas/yr Dec.: +3.5 mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 0.47 mas |
| Distance | 6,800 ly (2,100 pc) |
| Orbit | |
| Primary | PSR J0348+0432 |
| Name | White dwarf |
| Period (P) | 0.102424062722(7) days |
| Semi-major axis (a) | 832,000 km |
| Inclination (i) | 40.2(6)° |
| Details | |
| Pulsar | |
| Mass | 2.01 M☉ |
| Radius | 13±2 km, 1.87(29)×10−5 R☉ |
| Rotation | 39.1226563571297 ms |
| Age | 2.6×109 years |
| White dwarf | |
| Mass | 0.172 M☉ |
| Radius | 0.065(5) R☉ |
| Other designations | |
| PSR J0348+0432 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
PSR J0348+0432 is a pulsar–white dwarf binary system in the constellation Taurus. It was discovered in 2007 with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in a drift-scan survey.
In 2013, a mass measurement for this neutron star was announced: slightly over two times the mass of the Sun (2.01±0.04 M☉). This measurement was done with a combination of radio timing and precise spectroscopy of the white dwarf companion. This is slightly higher than, but statistically indistinguishable from, the mass of PSR J1614−2230, which was measured using the Shapiro delay. This measurement confirmed the existence of such massive neutron stars using a different measuring technique.
The notable feature of this binary pulsar is its combination of high neutron-star mass and short orbital period: 2 hours and 27 minutes. This allowed a measurement of the orbital decay due to the emission of gravitational waves, as observed for PSR B1913+16 and PSR J0737−3039.