Constraining the equation of state with moment of inertia measurements

We estimate that the moment of inertia of star A in the recently discovered double pulsar system PSR J0737 - 3039 may be determined after a few years of observation to similar to 10% accuracy. This would enable accurate estimates of the radius of the star and the pressure of matter in the vicinity of 1 - 2 times the nuclear saturation density, which would in turn provide strong constraints on the equation of state of neutron stars and the physics of their interiors.