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RX J1856–3754: Evidence for a Stiff Equation of State

We have examined the soft X-ray plus optical/UV spectrum of the nearby isolated neutron star RX J1856-3754, comparing it with detailed models of a thermally emitting surface. Like previous investigators, we find that the spectrum is best fitted by a two-temperature blackbody model. In addition, our simulations constrain the allowed viewing geometry from the observed pulse fraction upper limits. These simulations show that RX J1856-3754 is very likely to be a normal young pulsar, with the nonthermal radio beam missing Earth's line of sight. The spectral energy distribution limits on the model parameter space put a strong constraint on the star's M/R. At the measured parallax distance, the allowed range for MNS = 1.5 M☉ is RNS = 13.7 ± 0.6 km. Under this interpretation, the equation of state (EOS) is relatively stiff near nuclear density, and the quark star EOS posited in some previous studies is strongly excluded. The data also constrain the surface T distribution over the polar cap.