Abstract
Observational identification of black holes as members of binary systems requires the knowledge of the upper limit on the gravitational mass of a neutron star. We use modern equations of state for neutron star matter, fitted to experimental nucleon-nucleon scattering data and the properties of light nuclei, to calculate, within the framework of Rhoades & Ruffini (1974), the minimum upper limit on a neutron star mass. Regarding the equation of state as valid up to twice nuclear matter saturation density, ρnm, we obtain a secure upper bound on the neutron star mass equal to 2.9 M⊙. We also find that in order to reach the lowest possible upper bound of 2.2 M⊙, we need to understand the physical properties of neutron matter up to a density of ∼4ρnm.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | L61-L64 |
| Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
| Volume | 470 |
| Issue number | 1 PART II |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 10 1996 |
Funding
It is a pleasure to thank Arya Akmal for useful discussions and Dimitrios Psaltis for helpful comments and for a critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported in part by NSF grants AST92-18074 and PHY94-21309.
Keywords
- Dense matter
- Stars: neutron
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science