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Equation 4 · Part 1 · A Neutron Star Is a Redshift Standard

Symbol z_s

zs=(1−2GMRc2)−1/2−1z_s = \left(1 - \frac{2GM}{Rc^2}\right)^{-1/2} - 1
zsz_s

What this part means

zsz_s is part of the quantity the equation computes from the expression on the right.

Its job in the formula

zsz_s is part of the quantity the equation computes from the expression on the right.

The passage around this formula

The relation itself is old and simple. For a spherical, non-rotating exterior, the surface redshift zsz_s follows from the mass M and radius R as zs=(1−2GMRc2)−1/2−1z_s = \left(1 - \frac{2GM}{Rc^2}\right)^{-1/2} - 1. — a function of the star’s compactness alone, so that whatever fraction of a percent of uncertainty NICER puts on M and R propagates directly into the redshift. The paper works through six NICER-mapped pulsars this way, and two of…

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Learn the underlying idea

A subscript is a label attached below a symbol. It often selects a time step, component, category, or member of a sequence.

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Sources cited in the surrounding passage

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