Pulse profile modelling of the 2024 outburst of the accreting millisecond pulsar SRGA J144459.2-604207
吸积毫秒脉冲星SRGA J144459.2-604207 2024年爆发的脉冲轮廓建模
Pulse profile modelling via relativistic ray-tracing can constrain the system parameters of neutron stars, notably their mass and radius. Among these objects, accreting millisecond pulsars (AMPs) are promising targets, because they are bright in X-rays and their potentially polarized radiation can lead to complementary constraints on the emission geometry. We perform combined analysis of NICER and IXPE observations of the recently discovered the 448-Hz pulsar SRGA J144459.2-604207, with IXPE providing X-ray polarization information. NICER and IXPE jointly favour a large mass and radius for our best-fitting model, for which the neutron star has two independent hotspots. The primary hotspot is centered near the northern rotational pole, the secondary in the southern hemisphere, and the observer inclination is in the range 50-75 degrees. The primary hotspot is large (up to half the surface area) and contributes the majority of the non-pulsed X-rays, while the secondary is hotter and the major contributor to the overall pulse profile shape. However, many parameters are inferred to be near the prior bounds, which could indicate that the model does not adequately account for important physics. Furthermore, we tested several different methodologies for joint analysis of the two data sets: the results are sensitive to the method used, something that merits further study with synthetic data. In the future, we expect simultaneously recorded data will lead to improved parameter constraints, especially when multi-band and polarized data are combined.
展开 ▾首次将IXPE偏振脉冲数据纳入AMP脉冲轮廓建模,系统比较三类联合分析策略;发现参数推断受联合方法影响且触及先验边界,为多仪器联合PPM与未来eXTP等任务提供了关键指导。
承袭Dorsman+2025与Dorsman+2026对吸积毫秒脉冲星SAX J1808仅用NICER的脉冲轮廓建模工作,以及Papitto+2025首次报道SRGA J144459的偏振信号,本文首次将IXPE偏振脉冲数据与NICER数据联合进行PPM分析。结果突显了多数据集联合推断的优势与挑战:不同联合方法得到差异化的参数,且中子星质量、半径等关键参数触及先验边界,表明当前模型可能遗漏了盘反射或吸积柱等物理过程。未来通过改善计算效率、引入更真实的吸积几何与物态方程先验,并借助eXTP等同步宽能段-偏振观测,有望突破现有局限,为致密物态方程提供更可靠约束。
预印本 2026-05-18 · 刊出 2026-07-15 · 收录 2026-07-22