Evolution of Pulsars with Energy Release in the Superfluid Core of a Neutron Star

The effect of a neutron-proton vortex system on the rotation dynamics of neutron stars is examined. The dynamics of the motion of a two component superfluid system in the core of a neutron star yields an equation for the evolution of the pulsar's rotation period. The spin down of the star owing to energy release at the core boundary, which is associated with a contraction of the length of the neutron vortex as it moves radially and magnetic energy of the vortical cluster is released, is taken into account. Evolutionary curves are constructed for pulsars with different magnetic fields and stellar radii. For certain values of the coefficient of friction between the superfluid and normal components in the core of the neutron star, at the end of its evolution a radio pulsar may become an anomalous x-ray pulsar or a source of soft gamma radiation with a period on the order of 10 seconds.     

On the creation of magnetic monopoles in pulsars

The production of pairs of magnetic monopoles-antimonopoles should be expected in the interactions of the high energy particles accelerated by pulsars. In the frame of the Sturrock model, the interactions of the very high energy protons emitted from the polar caps with the secondary electrons can be a source of magnetic monopoles. It may be the dominating process in very young pulsars such as the Crab pulsar. In the polar gap model of Ruderman and Sutherland, magnetic monopoles can be created by the electrons accelerated across the cap and interacting with the neutron star crust or by the negatons and positrons interacting head-on inside the sparks.Half of these monopoles are accelerated towards the interstellar medium by the pulsar magnetic field and the others are likely to be trapped inside the neutron star crust. This leads to a decrease in the pulsar magnetic field which would imply that the characteristic age may not give the true age of the pulsar This can be related to the discrepancy between and the real age of the Crab pulsar and the kinematical ages obtained from the measurement of the proper motion of some pulsars. Furthermore, the trapping of magnetic monopoles close under the surface of the neutron star perturbates the pulsar electrodynamics. To have such observable effects, it is shown that the cross-sections for the magnetic monopoles production can be several orders of magnitude smaller than the upper limits so far derived from cosmic rays or accelerator data.The possibility that the magnetic monopoles, accelerated outwards, are responsible for the highest energy extensive air showers, is considered.The production of an avalanche of secondary monopoles, due to acceleration by the magnetic field in the neutron star crust, is possible and the consequences of this process are considered.     

Studying millisecond pulsars in X-rays

Millisecond pulsars represent an evolutionarily distinct group among rotation-powered pulsars. Outside the radio band, the soft X-ray range (～0.1–10 keV) is most suitable for studying radiative mechanisms operating in these fascinating objects. X-ray observations revealed diverse properties of emission from millisecond pulsars. For the most of them, the bulk of radiation is of a thermal origin, emitted from small spots (polar caps) on the neutron star surface heated by relativistic particles produced in pulsar acceleration zones. On the other hand, a few other very fast rotating pulsars exhibit almost pure nonthermal emission generated, most probably, in pulsar magnetospheres. There are also examples of nonthermal emission detected from X-ray nebulae powered by millisecond pulsars, as well as from pulsar winds shocked in binary systems with millisecond pulsars as companions. These and other most important results obtained from X-ray observations of millisecond pulsars are reviewed in this paper, as well as results from the search for millisecond pulsations in X-ray flux of the radio-quite neutron star RX J1856.5-3754.     

Gravitational radiation of slowly rotating neutron stars

The gravitational rotation of slowly rotating neutron stars with rough surfaces is examined. The source of the gravitational waves is assumed to be the energy transferred to the crust of the star during irregular changes in its angular rotation velocity. It is shown that individual pulsars whose angular velocity regularly undergoes glitches will radiate a periodic gravitational signal that can be distinguished from noise by the latest generation of detectors. Simultaneous recording of a gravitational signal and of a glitch in the angular velocity of a pulsar will ensure reliable detection of gravitational radiation. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 221–229 (May 2006).     

Statistical Analysis of Physical Parameters of Pulsars

Thanks to the excellent performance of FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope), the number of pulsars has increased rapidly. It is very important to analyze the physical parameters of known pulsars. The overall properties of pulsars are studied by analyzing the related physical parameters such as spatial position, period, surface magnetic flux density and so on. A large number of pulsars were detected by FAST near the galactic disk, which reflect the superiority of its detection ability. The diagram of the relationship between the period and the time derivative of period of pulsars has been updated. At present, 57 pulsars have crossed the classical “death line”, and five were discovered by FAST. Finally, the physical parameters of the binary pulsar systems are statistically analyzed, the binary pulsar systems are evolving towards the direction of low eccentricity and the decrease mass of the companion star. Moreover, 9 are located above the “spin-up line”. FAST is making China into the golden age of pulsar discovery, which will further promote the rapid development of pulsar physics.     

Some remarks on the hypothesis of relativistic beaming of pulsar emission

The hypothesis of the relativistic beaming of pulsar emission is discussed in connection with objections advanced by Manchesteret al. (1973). It is shown that the same pulse duration of some pulsars with the non-power-law spectrum over a wide frequency interval may be associated either with large source sizes in longitude, or with location of the emitting source at various distances from the rotation axis of the neutron star (depending on the emission frequency).     

一颗与众不同的脉冲星Geminga

最近，一个困扰人们达十几年之久的γ射线源Ｇｅｍｉｎｇａ被证认为Ｘ、γ射线脉冲星，其光学对应体也被确定为一颗光谱偏蓝的２５等星。对Ｇｅｍｉｎｇａ脉冲星的确证说明存在着一类没有射电辐射的脉冲单星。     

相控阵馈源MVDR波束合成器缓解RFI仿真

相控阵馈源(Phased array feeds, PAFs)接收机作为下一代微波接收机,为大口径射电天文望远镜的射电干扰(Radio Frequency Interference, RFI)缓解工作带来了新的解决方法. PAFs接收机对射电望远镜焦平面的电磁波进行空域采样,返回时域阵列信号,使用最小方差无失真响应(Minimum Variance Distortionless Response, MVDR)波束合成器可以自适应地识别RFI的方向,同时抑制RFI在输出信号中的功率,从而达到提升射电望远镜灵敏度的效果.仿真结果表明MVDR波束合成器对有源高能量的射电干扰有很强的识别能力和一定程度的缓解能力,同时,该波束合成器对各阵元信道中加性噪声累积引起的无源干扰有很强的抑制能力,因此, PAFs接收机的MVDR波束合成器可以增强日益复杂电磁波环境下射电望远镜的抗干扰能力.     

Spin down of rotating compact magnetized strange stars in general relativity

We find that in general relativity slow down of the pulsar rotation due to the magnetodipolar radiation is more faster for the strange star with comparison to that for the ordinary neutron star of the same mass. Comparison with astrophysical observations on pulsars spindown data may provide an evidence for the strange star existence and, thus, serve as a test for distinguishing it from the neutron star.     

An Estimation of the Initial Period of Pulsars

The initial period of a pulsar is an important factor in our understanding of the formation of neutron stars and of the nature of the equation of state of neutron star matter.Up to now this quantity can only be obtained for a few pulsars for which accurate age and braking index are known.Based on the theory of the offcenter dipole emission,in which pulsars obtain theiry high velocities depending on the initial periods,we calculate the initial period using the proper motion data,Because the orbital velocity of the progenitor and asymmetric kick in the supernova explosion may also contribute to the observed velocity of the pusar,the derived values of initial periods are lower limits.For normal pulsars,the initial periods are in the range of 0.6～2.6ms.For the millisecond pulsars,the initial periods are comparable to their current periods,and the ratio between the initial period and the current period increases with the decrease of the current period.For PSR B1937 21 with the shortest period of 1.56ms,the ratio is 0.77.     

A timing formula for main-sequence star binary pulsars

In binary radio pulsars with a main-sequence star companion, the spin-induced quadrupole moment of the companion gives rise to a precession of the binary orbit. As a first approximation one can model the secular evolution caused by this classical spin-orbit coupling by linear-in-time changes of the longitude of periastron and the projected semi-major axis of the pulsar orbit. This simple representation of the precession of the orbit neglects two important aspects of the orbital dynamics of a binary pulsar with an oblate companion. First, the quasiperiodic effects along the orbit, owing to the anisotropic 1/ r ³ nature of the quadrupole potential. Secondly, the long-term secular evolution of the binary orbit, which leads to an evolution of the longitude of periastron and the projected semi-major axis, which is non-linear in time.   In this paper a simple timing formula for binary radio pulsars with a main-sequence star companion is presented which models the short-term secular and most of the short-term periodic effects caused by the classical spin-orbit coupling. I also give extensions of the timing formula that account for long-term secular changes in the binary pulsar motion. It is shown that the short-term periodic effects are important for the timing observations of the binary pulsar PSR B1259–63. The long-term secular effects are likely to become important in the next few years of timing observations of the binary pulsar PSR J0045–7319. They could help to restrict or even determine the moments of inertia of the companion star and thus probe its internal structure.   Finally, I reinvestigate the spin-orbit precession of the binary pulsar PSR J0045–7319 since the analysis given in the literature is based on an incorrect expression for the precession of the longitude of periastron. A lower limit of 20° for the inclination of the B star with respect to the orbital plane is derived.     

The cross-correlation between galaxies and groups: probing the galaxy distribution in and around dark matter haloes

Some massive binaries should contain energetic pulsars which inject relativistic leptons from their inner magnetospheres and/or pulsar wind regions. If the binary system is compact enough, then these leptons can initiate inverse Compton (IC) e^± pair cascades in the anisotropic radiation field of a massive star. γ-rays can be produced in the IC cascade during its development in a pulsar wind region and above a shock in a massive star wind region where the propagation of leptons is determined by the structure of a magnetic field around the massive star. For a binary system with specific parameters, we calculate phase-dependent spectra and fluxes of γ-rays escaping as a function of the inclination angle of the system and for different assumptions on injection conditions of the primary leptons (their initial spectra and location of the shock inside the binary). We conclude that the features of γ-ray emission from such massive binaries containing energetic pulsars should allow us to obtain important information on the acceleration of particles by the pulsars, and on interactions of a compact object with the massive star wind. Predicted γ-ray light curves and spectra in the GeV and TeV energy ranges from such binary systems within our Galaxy and Magellanic Clouds should be observed by future AGILE and GLAST satellites and low-threshold Cherenkov telescopes, such as MAGIC, HESS, VERITAS or CANGAROO III.     

On the Precursor Star of the Pulsar in the Crab Nebula

The spatial distribution of the youngest pulsars, with a characteristic age of less than 12,000 years, is considered. All the pulsars except for the pulsar in the Crab Nebula lie in groups of young OB stars. It is suggested that the precursor of the Crab pulsar was a rapidly rotating, massive OB star. The group of young massive stars from which the fast-moving star was ejected is indicated. Estimates of the age of the precursor of the Crab pulsar and of the age of the group of young stars from which it was ejected favor this hypothesis. It is concluded that the fast-moving star must have acquired a high velocity due to the dynamical evolution of the young stellar group.     

Populating the Galaxy with pulsars – I. Stellar and binary evolution

The computation of theoretical pulsar populations has been a major component of pulsar studies since the 1970s. However, the majority of pulsar population synthesis has only regarded isolated pulsar evolution. Those that have examined pulsar evolution within binary systems tend to either treat binary evolution poorly or evolve the pulsar population in an ad hoc manner. Thus, no complete and direct comparison with observations of the pulsar population within the Galactic disc has been possible to date. Described here is the first component of what will be a complete synthetic pulsar population survey code. This component is used to evolve both isolated and binary pulsars. Synthetic observational surveys can then be performed on this population for a variety of radio telescopes. The final tool used for completing this work will be a code comprised of three components: stellar/binary evolution, Galactic kinematics and survey selection effects. Results provided here support the need for further (apparent) pulsar magnetic field decay during accretion, while they conversely suggest the need for a re-evaluation of the assumed typical millisecond pulsar formation process. Results also focus on reproducing the observed     diagram for Galactic pulsars and how this precludes short time-scales for standard pulsar exponential magnetic field decay. Finally, comparisons of bulk pulsar population characteristics are made to observations displaying the predictive power of this code, while we also show that under standard binary evolutionary assumption binary pulsars may accrete much mass.     

Spin evolution of neutron stars in binary systems

I review our understanding of the evolution of the spin periods of neutron stars in binary stellar systems, from their birth as fast, spin-powered pulsars, through their middle life as accretion-powered pulsars, upto their recycling or “rebirth” as spin-powered pulsars with relatively low magnetic fields and fast rotation. I discuss how the new-born neutron star is spun down by electromagnetic and “propeller” torques, until accretion of matter from the companion star begins, and the neutron star becomes an accretion-powered X-ray pulsar. Detailed observations of massive radio pulsar binaries like PSR 1259-63 will yield valuable information about this phase of initial spindown. I indicate how the spin of the neutron star then evolves under accretion torques during the subsequent phase as an accretion-powered pulsar. Finally, I describe how the neutron star is spun up to short periods again during the subsequent phase of recycling, with the accompanying reduction in the stellar magnetic field, the origins of which are still not completely understood.     

General track of pulsar evolution

It is shown that large mulling, small luminosity and a large value of polarization angle variation are, together, a good indication of a pulsar's old age. Selection effects connected with the discovery of pulsars are analyzed. The general track of pulsar evolution, along which the diagram of pulsar emission and the angle between the magnetic and rotation axes decrease, is found.     

Cyclotron absorption of radio emission within pulsar magnetospheres

Absorption of radio emission through normal cyclotron resonance within pulsar magnetospheres is considered. The optical depth for cyclotron damping is calculated using a plasma distribution with an intrinsically relativistic spread. We argue that such a broad distribution is plausible for pulsar plasmas and that it implies that a class of pulsars that should have cyclotron damping extends to include young pulsars with shorter periods and stronger magnetic fields. There is no obvious observational evidence for disruption of radio pulses, which implies that the optical depth cannot be too large. We propose that cyclotron resonance may cause marginal absorption of radio emission. It is shown that such marginal absorption produces potentially observable asymmetric features for double-peak pulse profiles with wide separation, with one peak tending to be suppressed.     

Magnetosphere of barionic stars

Conclusions Our chief result is the proof that pulsars can possess a quasi-steady-state magnetosphere with temperature T10⁴–10⁶. The magnetosphere can be maintained in this state in its part nearest the star if the plasma is heated by radiation from the star (except for P 0531, for which such radiation is nearlyinsignificant). Plasma in the main part of the magnetosphere is maintained in such a hot state as a result of Joule heat due to drift currents. Radiation from the magnetosphere of P 0531 is found basically in the optical spectrum, though the intensity is several orders of magnitude less than the observed value, so that it does not correspond to the observed optical emission from the pulsar in the Crab nebula.Erevan State University. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 339–349, April–June, 1976.     

Determination of the parameters of the neutron stars in pulsars

It is shown that knowing the energy flux density of the radio emission, the rate of increase in the period, and the distance of a pulsar enables one to calculate all the rest of its most important characteristics (the solid angle of the radio emission beam, the radio luminosity, the solid angle of the beam of γ rays, the energy flux density of the g-ray emission, and the magnetic moment, moment of inertia, and mass of the neutron star). Equations from which these pulsar characteristics can be calculated are given at the end of the paper. The results of calculations for a number of pulsars are given in Tables 2 and 3 as an illustration. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 277-291, April–June, 2000.     

Path length distribution of cosmic rays from pulsar nebula complexes

Particles accelerated in the vicinity of pulsars have to traverse the nebular matter surrounding pulsars. Using the variation of pulsar luminosity and nebular expansion, the path length distribution for the particle radiation is deduced and compared with that obtained from experimental observation. It is found that a significant amount of matter traversed by cosmic rays can be in the source itself; but it is not possible to simultaneously account for the production of secondary electrons and secondary nuclei with the same set of parameters.