Is RX J1856.5−3754 a Quark Star?

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Abstract

Deep Chandra LETG+HRC-S observations of the isolated neutron star candidate RX J1856.5-3754 have been analysed to search for metallic and resonance cyclotron spectral features and for pulsation behaviour. As found from earlier observations, the X-ray spectrum is well-represented by a ~ 60 eV (7e5 K) blackbody. No unequivocal evidence of spectral line or edge features has been found, arguing against metal-dominated models. The data contain no evidence for pulsation and we place a 99% confidence upper limit of 2.7% on the unaccelerated pulse fraction over a wide frequency range from 1e-4 to 100 Hz. We argue that the derived interstellar medium neutral hydrogen column density of 8e19 <= N_H <= 1.1e20 per sq. cm favours the larger distance from two recent HST parallax analyses, placing RX J1856.5-3754 at ~ 140 pc instead of ~ 60 pc, and in the outskirts of the R CrA dark molecular cloud. That such a comparatively rare region of high ISM density is precisely where an isolated neutron star re-heated by accretion of interstellar matter would be expected is either entirely coincidental, or current theoretical arguments excluding this scenario for RX J1856.5-3754 are premature. Taken at face value, the combined observational evidence -- a lack of spectral and temporal features and an implied radius at infinity of 3.8-8.2 km that is too small for current neutron star models -- points to a more compact object, such as allowed for quark matter equations of state.

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