Lower bounds on neutron star mass and moment of inertia implied by the millisecond pulsar

Abstract

The short period of the millisecond pulsar PSR 1937+214 implies that it could be close to the onset of rotational instabilities. Conditions of rotational stability imply lower bounds on the mass and moment of inertia and upper bounds on the radius of neutron stars belonging to this new class of radio pulsars. For six representative high density equations of state, the authors construct critically rotating neutron star models using the prescription of Hartle & Thorne and obtain these bounds. The lower bounds on mass are found to be substantially higher than previous estimates.