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Main Authors: Groger, John, Paerels, Frits, Bogdanov, Slavko, Gotthelf, Eric V., Helfand, David J., Hubeny, Ivan, Lanz, Thierry, Gomez, Thomas A.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.14146
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author Groger, John
Paerels, Frits
Bogdanov, Slavko
Gotthelf, Eric V.
Helfand, David J.
Hubeny, Ivan
Lanz, Thierry
Gomez, Thomas A.
author_facet Groger, John
Paerels, Frits
Bogdanov, Slavko
Gotthelf, Eric V.
Helfand, David J.
Hubeny, Ivan
Lanz, Thierry
Gomez, Thomas A.
contents We present evidence for atomic absorption lines in the high-resolution 4-30 A X-ray spectrum of the neutron star RX J0822-4300 in the supernova remnant Puppis A. Comparison with model atmosphere calculations shows that features in the observed spectrum can be uniquely associated with redshifted and pressure-broadened transitions in highly ionized oxygen and neon. We also spectroscopically confirm the previously estimated strength of the surface magnetic dipole field; we detect both the linear and the quadratic Zeeman effect. We derive values for both the gravitational redshift and the acceleration of gravity at the stellar surface, yielding the first purely spectroscopic estimates for the radius and mass of a neutron star.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_14146
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Evidence for Atomic Absorption Features in the High Resolution X-ray Spectrum of the Neutron Star in Puppis A
Groger, John
Paerels, Frits
Bogdanov, Slavko
Gotthelf, Eric V.
Helfand, David J.
Hubeny, Ivan
Lanz, Thierry
Gomez, Thomas A.
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
We present evidence for atomic absorption lines in the high-resolution 4-30 A X-ray spectrum of the neutron star RX J0822-4300 in the supernova remnant Puppis A. Comparison with model atmosphere calculations shows that features in the observed spectrum can be uniquely associated with redshifted and pressure-broadened transitions in highly ionized oxygen and neon. We also spectroscopically confirm the previously estimated strength of the surface magnetic dipole field; we detect both the linear and the quadratic Zeeman effect. We derive values for both the gravitational redshift and the acceleration of gravity at the stellar surface, yielding the first purely spectroscopic estimates for the radius and mass of a neutron star.
title Evidence for Atomic Absorption Features in the High Resolution X-ray Spectrum of the Neutron Star in Puppis A
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.14146