Constraining the Bulk Properties of Dense Matter by Measuring Millisecond Pulsar Masses - A White Paper for the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, CFP Panel

Abstract

More than four decades after the discovery of pulsars, the composition of matter at their cores is still a mystery. This white paper summarizes how recent high-precision measurements of millisecond pulsar masses have introduced new experimental constraints on the properties of super-dense matter, and how continued timing of intriguing new objects, coupled with radio telescope surveys to discover more pulsars, might introduce significantly more stringent constraints.