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R.E. Rutledge (Caltech)
Transiently accreting neutron stars in quiescence (qNSs) are outstanding objects for measuring radii from among the known neutron star classes. These objects are powered by a hot core -- as in young neutron stars -- although active accretion in the system may also contribute significantly to their emission. Their atmospheres are composed of Hydrogen and for negligible magnetic fields their emergent (thermal) spectra have been calculated by a number of independent groups. The distances to these objects remain a major uncertainty -- one which is overcome by observing them in globular clusters.
I will describe the results of Chandra and XMM observations of this class of sources, including their inferred radii, limitations on the accuracy of these measurements, and prospects for future constraints on the equation of state from radii measurements from qNSs.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: rutledge@tapir.caltech.edu