The Moment of Inertia of the Binary Pulsar J0737-3039A: Constraining the Nuclear Equation of State

Abstract

We construct numerical models of the newly discovered binary pulsar J0737-3039A, both with a fully relativistic, uniformly rotating, equilibrium code that handles arbitrary spins and in the relativistic, slow-rotation approximation. We compare results for a representative sample of viable nuclear equations of state (EOS) that span three, qualitatively different, classes of models for the description of nuclear matter. A future dynamical measurement of the neutron star's moment of inertia from pulsar timing data will impose significant constraints on the nuclear EOS. Even a moderately accurate measurement (