Fully general relativistic description of rapidly-rotating axially-symmetric neutron stars for constraining nuclear matter equations of state

TL;DR

This paper presents a fully relativistic model of rapidly rotating neutron stars to better understand how rotation influences their structure and to improve constraints on nuclear matter equations of state from observational data.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive relativistic approach using the KEH method to model rotating neutron stars and explores the impact of rotation on mass-radius relations across different EoS parameter sets.

Findings

Maximum rotational frequency depends on EoS stiffness.

Rotation increases neutron star mass and radius.

High-frequency rotation effects are significant for constraining EoS.

Abstract

Background: Constraining the nuclear matter equation of state (EoS) from neutron star observations is one of the main subjects in nuclear physics today. In general, neutron stars rotate rapidly and structure of neutron stars can be affected, especially in millisecond pulsars. To better constrain the nuclear EoS, it is important to describe neutron star structure taking into account the effects of rotation in a fully relativistic manner. Purpose: In this study, we investigate the internal structure of neutron stars under the influence of rotation. We explore correlations between rotational effects and EoS parameters, based on realistic calculations of rapidly rotating neutron stars based on the KEH method, which provides stable solutions for axially symmetric rotating equilibrium configurations. Results: Using 5 different Skyrme EoS parameter sets, we find that the maximum angular frequency achievable by rotating neutron stars, as calculated via the KEH method, varies depending on the stiffness of the equation of state. We confirm that an increase in the rotating frequency leads to an overall increase in both the mass and radius along the M-R curve. By performing calculations at two frequently referenced neutron stars, we further examine how the changes in mass and radius correlate with the nuclear matter properties at saturation density. Our results suggest that the 716Hz rotational constraint may require a more conservative interpretation when accounting for realistic stellar deformation effects. Conclusions: To place stringent constraints on the nuclear EoS based on observational data, it is sometimes essential to account for the effects of rotation in neutron star models. In particular, the influence of rotation becomes increasingly significant at higher spin frequencies and cannot be neglected in rapidly rotating systems with $>$400Hz.