X-ray observations of PSR B0355+54 and its pulsar wind nebula

We present X-ray data of the middle-aged radio pulsar PSR B0355+54. The XMM-Newton and Chandra observations show not only emission from the pulsar itself, but also compact diffuse emission extending ∼50″ in the opposite direction to the pulsar’s proper motion. Our analysis also indicates the presence of fainter diffuse emission extending ∼5′ from the point source. The morphology of the diffuse component is similar to the ram-pressure confined pulsar wind nebulae detected for other sources. We find that the compact diffuse component is well-fitted with a power-law, with an index that is consistent with the values found for other pulsar wind nebulae. The core emission from the pulsar can be characterized with a thermal plus power-law fit, with the thermal emission most likely originating in a hot polar cap.     

Magnetic field energy as a source of the radio luminosity of quasars

Energy release in the superconducting core of a neutron star as neutron vortices move toward the boundary of the star’s core and crust is examined. It is shown that the rate of energy release is on the order of 10²⁶-10³⁰ erg/s, or sufficient to provide the radio luminosity of known pulsars. The energy release rates calculated under the assumption of asymmetric energy release are compared with observational data on the radio luminosity of 575 pulsars.     

Spin-driven changes in neutron star magnetic fields

Interactions among a neutron star’s superfluid neutrons, superconducting protons, and solid crust cause predictable spin-down and spin-up driven crustal motion and magnetic field changes. Applications and unsolved problems are discussed for millisecond pulsar evolution and properties, glitches and post-glitch responses, and transcient gamma-ray emission.     

Energetics of galactic nuclei

A model of compact galactic nuclei in statistical equilibrium was developed in [L. Sh. Grigorian and G. S. Sahakian, Astrofizika (in press)]. It was shown that they should consist predominantly of neutron stars (pulsars) and white dwarfs. The problem of the energy reserves of galactic nuclei is discussed in terms of this concept. The mechanism of conversion of a white dwarf into a neutron star due to the accretion of interstellar matter is considered. This means that a galactic nucleus has an energy reserve of some 5·10⁶⁰ N₈ erg (N is the number of stars in the nucleus). It is shown that galactic nuclei are powerful sources of hard γ radiation [power L » 2·10⁴⁴µ₃₀N₈(Ω/50)^17/7 erg/sec, where µ is the magnetic moment and Ω is the angular rotation rate of a neutron star ] due to curvature radiation from relativistic electron fluxes flowing along channels of open magnetic field lines of pulsars. The x-ray and ultraviolet emission are due to synchrotron emission from the same electron fluxes in the magnetic field of the galactic nucleus (L » 10⁴²-10⁴⁴ erg/sec). The optical (visible and infrared) and radio emission are due to bremsstrahlung from electrons in the interstellar medium [L » 6·10⁴⁶N ₈ ² (5/R_pc)³ erg/sec, where R is the radius of the galactic nucleus]. An equation is obtained for the magnetic moment of a pulsar: µ ≈ 3.4·10^-5L_γP^17/7, where P is the pulsar’s period and L_03B3; is the luminosity of the pulsar’s y radiation.     

Polarization-mode separation and the emission geometry of pulsar 0823 + 26: A new pattern of pulsar emission?

We explore the detailed polarization behaviour of pulsar 0823 + 26 using the technique of constructing partial ‘mode-separated’ profiles corresponding to the primary and secondary polarization modes. The characteristics of the two polarization modes in this pulsar are particularly interesting, both because they are anything but orthogonal and because the secondary mode exhibits a structure seen neither in the primary mode nor in the total profile. The new leading and trailing features in the secondary mode, which appear to represent a conal component pair, are interpreted geometrically on the basis of their width and the associated polarization-angle traverse as an outer cone. If the secondary-mode features are, indeed, an outer cone, then questions about the significance of the pulsar’s postcursor component become more pressing. It seems that 0823 + 26 has a very nearly equatorial geometry, in that both magnetic poles and the sightline all fall close to the rotational equator of the star. We thus associate the postcursor component with emission along those bundles of field lines which are also equatorial and which continue to have a tangent in the direction of our sight line for a significant portion of the star’s rotation cycle. It seems that in all pulsars with postcursor components, this emission follows the core component, and all may thus have equatorial emission geometries. No pulsars with precursors in this sense — including the Crab pulsar — are known. The distribution of power between the primary and secondary modes is very similar at both 430 and 1400 MHz. Our analysis shows that in this pulsar considerable depolarization must be occurring on time scales that are short compared to the time resolution of our observations, which is here some 0.5–1.0 milliseconds. One of the most interesting features of the modeseparated partial profiles is a phase offset between the primary and secondary modes. The secondary-mode ‘main pulse’ arrives some 1.5 ± 0.1‡ before the primary-mode one at 430 MHz and some 1.3 +0.1 ‡ at 21 cm. Given that the polar cap has an angular diameter of 3.36‡, we consider whether this is a geometric effect or an effect of differential propagation of the two modes in the inner magnetosphere of the pulsar.     

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.     

The neutron stars of Soft X–ray Transients

Summary. Soft X–ray Transients (SXRTs) have long been suspected to contain old, weakly magnetic neutron stars that have been spun up by accretion torques. After reviewing their observational properties, we analyse the different regimes that likely characterise the neutron stars in these systems across the very large range of mass inflow rates, from the peak of the outbursts to the quiescent emission. While it is clear that close to the outburst maxima accretion onto the neutron star surface takes place, as the mass inflow rate decreases, accretion might stop at the magnetospheric boundary because of the centrifugal barrier provided by the neutron star. For low enough mass inflow rates (and sufficiently short rotation periods), the radio pulsar mechanism might turn on and sweep the inflowing matter away. The origin of the quiescent emission, observed in a number of SXRTs at a level of , plays a crucial role in constraining the neutron star magnetic field and spin period. Accretion onto the neutron star surface is an unlikely mechanism for the quiescent emission of SXRTs, as it requires very low magnetic fields and/or long spin periods. Thermal radiation from a cooling neutron star surface in between the outbursts can be ruled out as the only cause of the quiescent emission. We find that accretion onto the neutron star magnetosphere and shock emission powered by an enshrouded radio pulsar provide far more plausible models. In the latter case the range of allowed neutron star spin periods and magnetic fields is consistent with the values recently inferred from the properties of kHz quasi-periodic oscillation in low mass X–ray binaries. If quiescent SXRTs contain enshrouded radio pulsars, they provide a missing link between X–ray binaries and millisecond pulsars. Received 4 November 1997; Accepted 15 April 1998     

Wave beams in the magnetoelastic crust of pulsars

The propagation of axially symmetric magnetoelastic waves near the equatorial plane of the crust of a neutron star embedded in a transverse magnetic field is examined. The crust is treated as a solid-state plasma and waves are excited in it in the form of a transverse magnetic field applied to the inner boundary of the star’s crust. The time dependent equation is solved in a linear approximation assuming that the perturbing magnetic field is small compared to the unperturbed field. A simple, exact solution in the form of linear gaussian beams is obtained without additional conditions being imposed on the dissipation, dispersion, and narrowness of the beam, provided only that the velocity c_n of these waves depends weakly on position. This last condition is satisfied for the plasma in the crust of a neutron star. As it propagates to the star’s surface, the radius of the beam remains constant. The electric currents generated by the wave beam on the star’s surface are also calculated. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 547–556 (November 2007).     

Pulsar radio emission

A new version of the theory of pulsar radio emission is developed for the case of a coaxial rotator. It is based on the electric field that we established [G. S. Sahakian, Astrofizika, 37, 97 (1994)] for the radiation channel (the channel of open magnetic field lines) and on convenient approximations for the electron energy obtained in [G. S. Sahakian and É. S. Chubarian, Astrofizika, 37, 255 (1994)]. It is shown that, owing to the emission of photons of curvature radiation by particles, e e+_c', and photon annihilation, _c e⁺e^– in the lower part of the radiation channel, a special region (the magnetic funnel) is formed in which vigorous cascade multiplication of particles occurs. The height of the magnetic funnel is h 6R^0.2, where R is the radius of the neutron star and is its angular rotation rate. As a result of supersaturation of the plasma density in the magnetic funnel, a discharge occurs after each time intervalt5·10^–7–0.8B ₁₂ ^–1.4 R ₆ ^–0.2 , i.e., the longitudinal electric field disappears (B is the magnetic induction in the star). During the active radiative processes in the magnetic funnel, two main fluxes of particles with high ultrarelativistic energies are formed: an upward flux of electrons and a positron flux falling onto the star's magnetic cap. These fluxes are accompanied by narrow strips of positron and electron fluxes, respectively, of considerably lower energy, which are fairly powerful, coherent radio sources. The pulsar's radio luminosity is calculated to be L7.4·10^223.8 ₃₀ ³ R ₆ ^–2 erg/sec, where =BR 3/2 is the star's magnetic moment. Comparing this result with observations, we conclude that the magnetic moment and hence the mass of the neutron star evidently must be considerably smaller, on the average, for fast pulsars than for slow ones. It is shown that the magnetic moment of the neutron star can be determined from the intervals between micropulses in the pulse profiles. The problem of the origin of the macrostructure of the radio pulse is discussed.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 141–185, January – March, 1995.     

Pulsar radio emission. I. Oblique rotator

The problem of pulsar radio emission for the case of a coaxial rotator was investigated in our preceding paper [G. S. Sahakian, Astrofizika,38, 143 (1995)]. In this paper it is solved for the realistic case in which the star's magnetic axis does not coincide with its rotational axis (an inclined rotator). It is shown that above the star's magnetic cap a special region, called a magnetic funnel, is formed in which vigorous processes of particle multiplication occur. The height of this region is h 8·10^60.2 ₃₀ ^1/3 R ₆ ^1.3 cm and its radius r(r/c)^0.5 depends little on the inclination angle a ( is the angular rotation rate, is the magnetic moment, R is the star's radius, and r is distance from the center of the star). It is shown that the pulsar radio emission is produced in the magnetic funnel. Here, in the course of active radiative processes, two main particle fluxes with a high ultrarelativistic energy are formed: an upward electron flux and a positron flux falling onto the star's magnetic cap. These main fluxes are accompanied by individual narrow strips of positron and electron fluxes with a relatively low energy, which are fairly powerful, coherent radio sources. Such secondary fluxes are formed immediately after the annihilation of photons of curvature radiation emitted by particles of the main fluxes. The pulsar's radio luminosity is estimated to be L7.4·10^233.52 ₃₀ ^8/3 (a), where (a) is a known function (1 for a<50°). Equating the theoretical and observed radio luminosities L and L₀, we obtain the formula ₃₀P^1.32R ₆ ^0.4 (2.1·10^–27L₀/)^3/8 for the magnetic moment of the pulsar's neutron star, where P is the pulsar's period. The magnetic moments of slow pulsars calculated from this formula turn out to be considerably larger than those of fast pulsars. This means that the masses of slow pulsars are larger, on the average, than those of fast pulsars. The magnetic funnel operates with interruptions, periodically undergoing a discharge, so that the production of pulsar radio emission operates with interruptions. The durations of the production of radio emission and of the interruptions between those processes are on the order of h/c2.7·10^–40.2 ₃₀ ^1/3 sec, i.e., pulsar radio emission has a microstructure. Consequently, a study of the microstructure of the profiles of observed radio pulses enables one to obtain additional information about the magnetic moments of the neutron stars.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 313–335, April–June, 1996.     

On the polarisation and emission geometry of pulsar 1929+10: Does its emission come from a single pole or two poles?

Pulsar B1929+10 is remarkable on a number of grounds. Its narrow primary components exhibit virtually complete and highly stable linear polarisation, which can be detected over most of its rotation cycle. Various workers have been lured by the unprecedented range over which its linear polarisation angle can be determined, and more attempts have been made to model its emission geometry than perhaps for any other pulsar. Paradoxically, there is compelling evidence to interpret the pulsar’s emission geometryboth in terms of an aligned configuration whereby its observed radiation comes from a single magnetic-polar emission regionand in terms of a nearly orthogonal configuration in which we receive emission from regions near each of its two poles. Pulsar 1929+10 thus provides a fascinating context in which to probe the conflict between these lines of interpretation in an effort to deepen our understanding of pulsar radio emission. Least-squares fits to the polarisation-angle traverse fit poorly near the main pulse and interpulse and have an inflection point far from the centre of the main pulse. This and a number of other circumstances suggest that the position-angle traverse is an unreliable indicator of the geometry in this pulsar, possibly in part because its low level ‘pedestal’ emission makes it impossible to properly calibrate a Polarimeter which correlates orthogonal circular polarisations. Taking the interpulse and main-pulse comp. II widths as indicators of the magnetic latitude, it appears that pulsar 1929+10 has anα value near 90‡ and thus has a two-pole interpulse geometry. This line of interpretation leads to interesting and consistent results regarding the geometry of the conal components. Features corresponding to both an inner and outer cone are identified. In addition, it appears that pulsar 1929+10–and a few other stars–have what we are forced to identify as a ‘furtherin’ cone, with a conal emission radius of about2.3‡/P _1/2 Secondarily, 1929+10’s nearly complete linear polarisation provides an ideal opportunity to study how mechanisms of depolarisation function on a pulse-to-pulse basis. Secondary-polarisation-mode emission appears in significant proportion only in some limited ranges of longitude, and the subsequent depolarization is studied using different mode-separation techniques. The characteristics of the two polarisation modes are particularly interesting, both because the primary mode usually dominates the secondary so completely and because the structure seen in the secondary mode appears to bear importantly on the question of the pulsar’s basic emission geometry. New secondary-mode features are detected in the average profile of this pulsar which appear independent of the main-pulse component structure and which apparently constitute displaced modal emission. Individual pulses during which the secondary-mode dominates the primary one are found to be considerably more intense than the others and largely depolarised. Monte-Carlo modeling of the mode mixing in this region, near the boundary of comps. II and III, indicates that the incoherent interference of two fully and orthogonally polarised modes can adequately account for the observed depolarisation. The amplitude distributions of the two polarisation modes are both quite steady: the primary polarisation mode is well fitted by a χ² distribution with about nine degrees of freedom; whereas the secondary mode requires a more intense distribution which is constant, but sporadic.     

Limiting polarization effect—a key link in investigating the mean profiles of radio pulsars

Using a well-known method for calculating the propagation of waves in an inhomogeneous medium, we have managed to reduce the problem of wave propagation in pulsar magnetospheres to a system of two ordinary differential equations that allow the polarization characteristics of the radio emission to be quantitatively described for any magnetic field structure and an arbitrary density profile of the outflowing plasma. We confirm that for ordinary pulsars (period P ∼ 1 s, magnetic field B ₀ ∼ 10¹² G, particle production multiplicity parameter λ ∼ 10⁴), the polarization is formed inside the light cylinder at a distance of the order of a thousand neutron star radii. For reasonable magnetic field strengths and plasma densities on the emission propagation path, the degree of circular polarization is found to be ∼5–20%, in good agreement with observations.     

Formation of “lightnings” in a neutron star magnetosphere and the nature of RRATs

The connection between the radio emission from “lightnings” produced by the absorption of high-energy photons from the cosmic gamma-ray background in a neutron star magnetosphere and radio bursts from rotating ratio transients (RRATs) is investigated. The lightning length reaches 1000 km; the lightning radius is 100 m and is comparable to the polar cap radius. If a closed magnetosphere is filled with a dense plasma, then lightnings are efficiently formed only in the region of open magnetic field lines. For the radio emission from a separate lightning to be observed, the polar cap of the neutron star must be directed toward the observer and, at the same time, the lightning must be formed. The maximum burst rate is related to the time of the plasma outflow from the polar cap region. The typical interval between two consecutive bursts is ∼100 s. The width of a single radio burst can be determined both by the width of the emission cone formed by the lightning emitting regions at some height above the neutron star surface and by a finite lightning lifetime. The width of the phase distribution for radio bursts from RRATs, along with the integrated pulse width, is determined by the width of the bundle of open magnetic field lines at the formation height of the radio emission. The results obtained are consistent with the currently available data and are indicative of a close connection between RRATs, intermittent pulsars, and extreme nullers.     

Scenarios for the formation of binary and millisecond pulsars – A critical assessment

The evolution of high-and low-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB and LMXB) into different types of binary radio pulsars, the ‘high-mass binary pulsars’(HMBP) and ‘low-mass binary pulsars’ (LMBP) is discussed. The HMXB evolve either into Thorne-Zytkow objects or into short-period binaries consisting of a helium star plus a neutron star (or a black hole), resembling Cygnus X-3. The latter systems evolve (with or without a second common-envelope phase) into close binary pulsars, in which the companion of the pulsar may be a massive white dwarf, a neutron star or a black hole ( some final systems may also consist of two black holes). A considerable fraction of the systems may also be disrupted in the second supernova explosion. We discuss the possible reasons why the observed numbers of double neutron stars and of systems like Cyg X-3 are several orders of magnitude lower than theoretically predicted. It is argued that the observed systems form the tip of an iceberg of much larger populations of unobserved systems, some of which may become observable in the future. As to the LMBP, we consider in some detail the origins of systems with orbital periods in the range 1–20 days. We show that to explain their existence, losses of orbital angular momentum (e.g., by magnetic braking) and in a number of cases: also of mass, have to be taken into account. The masses of the low-mass white dwarf companions in these systems can be predicted accurately. We notice a clear correlation between spin period and orbital period for these systems, as well as a clear correlation between pulsar magnetic field strength and orbital period. These relations strongly suggest that increased amounts of mass accreted by the neutron stars lead to increased decay of their magnetic fields: we suggest a simple way to understand the observed value of the ‘bottom’ field strengths of a few times 10⁸ G. Furthermore, we find that the LMBP-systems in which the pulsar has a strong magnetic field (> 10¹¹ G) have an about two orders of magnitude larger birth rate (i.e., about 4 × 10^-4 yr^-1 in the Galaxy) than the systems with millisecond pulsars (which have B < 10⁹ G). Using the observational fact that neutron stars receive a velocity kick of ∼450 km/s at birth, we find that some 90% of the potential progenitor systems of the strong-field LMBP must have been disrupted in the Supernovae in which their neutron stars were formed. Hence, the formation rate of the progenitors of the strong-field LMBP is of the same order as the galactic supernova rate (4 × 10^-3 yr^-1). This implies that a large fraction of all Supernovae take place in binaries with a close low-mass (< 2.3 M⊙) companion.     

Can a slowly rotating neutron star be a radio pulsar?

It is shown that the radius of curvature of magnetic field lines in the polar region of a rotating magnetized neutron star can be significantly less than the usual radius of curvature of the dipole magnetic field. The magnetic field in the polar cap is distorted by toroidal electric currents flowing in the neutron star crust. These currents close up the magnetospheric currents driven by the electron–positron plasma generation process in the pulsar magnetosphere. Owing to the decrease in the radius of curvature, electron–positron plasma generation becomes possible even for slowly rotating neutron stars, with   PB ^−2/3₁₂ < 10 s  , where P is the period of star rotation and   B ₁₂= B /10¹² G  is the magnitude of the magnetic field on the star surface.     

Equilibrium configuration of the magnetosphere of a star loaded with accreted magnetized mass

Equilibrium configuration of the magnetosphere of a star loaded by the gravitationally accreted plasma having its own magnetic field is investigated. Axisymmetry around the star’s magnetic axis is assumed for simplicity. It is seen that two distinct configurations appear for the cases of parallel and antiparallel magnetic field of the accreted plasma with respect to the star’s magnetic moment. If the external field is antiparallel to the star’s magnetic moment, the stellar magnetosphere is confined within a spherical region surrounded by the external field with a separatric surface between them. This is an extension of the case of the spherical accretion of non-magnetic plasma dealt with thus far in connection with the mass accretion by the degenerate stars in X-ray binaries. It is noticed that the mass slides down along the field lines to the point closest to the star and is stratified hydrostatically in equilibrium to form a disk in the equatorial plane. The mass loading compresses the sphere as a whole in this case. If, on the other hand, the external field is parallel to the star’s magnetic moment, there appears a ring of magnetic neutral point in the equatorial plane. Polar field is open and extends to infinity while the low-latitude field is closed and faces the external field of opposite polarity across the neutral point. The increase of the loaded mass in this case causes a shrink of the closed field region, and the open polar flux is increased. Therefore, the transition between equilibria with small and large amount of the loaded mass requires the reconnection of magnetic lines of force, and the reconnection of the flux through the magnetic neutral ring is proposed as the mechanism of the steady or the intermittent mass leakage like the ones postulated for some X-ray bursters. Visiting Scientist supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences.     

Spectral Constraints for Millisecond Pulsars Due to General Relativistic Frame Dragging

We develop a numerical code for simulating the magnetospheres of millisecond pulsars, which are expected to have unscreened electric potentials due to the lack of magnetic pair production. We incorporate General Relativistic (GR) expressions for the electric field and charge density and include curvature radiation (CR) due to primary electrons accelerated above the stellar surface, whereas inverse Compton scattering (ICS) of thermal X-ray photons by these electrons are neglected as a second-order effect. We apply the model to PSR J0437-4715, a prime candidate for testing the GR-Electrodynamic theory, and find that the curvature radiation spectrum cuts off at energies below 15 GeV, which are well below the threshold of the H.E.S.S. telescope, whereas Classical Electrodynamics predict a much higher cutoff near 100 GeV, which should be visible for H.E.S.S., if standard assumed Classical Electrodynamics apply. GR theory also predicts a relatively narrow pulse (2φ _L ∼ 0.2 phase width) centered on the magnetic axis, which sets the beaming solid angle to ∼0.5 sr per polar cap (PC) for a magnetic inclination angle of 35^∘ relative to the spin axis, given an observer which sweeps close to the magnetic axis. We also find that EGRET observations above 100 MeV of this pulsar constrain the polar magnetic field strength to B _pc < 4× 10⁸ G for a pulsar radius of 10 km and moment of inertia of 10⁴⁵ g cm². The field strength constraint becomes even tighter for a larger radius and moment of inertia. Furthermore, a reanalysis of the full EGRET data set of this pulsar, assuming the predicted pulse shape and position, should lead to even tighter constraints on neutron star and GR parameters, up to the point where the GR-derived potential and polar cap current may be questioned.     

Models for the formation of binary and millisecond radio pulsars

The peculiar combination of a relatively short pulse period and a relatively weak surface dipole magnetic field strength of binary radio pulsars finds a consistent explanation in terms of (i) decay of the surface dipole component of neutron-star magnetic fields on a timescale of (2–5) × 10⁶ yr, in combination with (ii) spin-up of the rotation of the neutron star during a subsequent mass-transfer phase. The four known binary radio pulsars appear to fall into two different categories. Two of them, PSR 0655 + 64 and PSR 1913 + 16, have short orbital periods (<25 h) and high mass functions, indicating companion masses 0.7M⊙ (∼1 (± 0.3) M⊙ and 1.4 M⊙, respectively). The other two, PSR 0820 + 02 and PSR 1953 + 29, have long orbital periods (117d), nearly circular orbits, and low, almost identical mass functions of about 3×10^-3 M⊙, suggesting companion masses of about 0.3M⊙. It is pointed out that these two classes of systems are expected to be formed by the later evolution of binaries consisting of a neutron star and a normal companion star, in which the companion was (considerably) more massive than the neutron star, or less massive than the neutron star, respectively. In the first case the companion of the neutron star in the final system will be a massive white dwarf, in a circular orbit, or a neutron star in an eccentric orbit. In the second case the final companion to the neutron star will be a low-mass (∼ 0.3 M⊙) helium white dwarf in a wide and nearly circular orbit. In systems of the second type the neutron star was most probably formed by the accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf. This explains in a natural way why PSR 1953 + 29 has a millisecond rotation period and PSR 0820 + 02 has not. Among the binary models proposed for the formation of the 1.5-millisecond pulsar, the only ones that appear to be viable are those in which the companion disappeared by coalescence with the neutron star. In such models the companion may have been a red dwarf of mass 0.03M⊙, a neutron star, or a massive (>0.7M⊙) white dwarf. Only in the last-mentioned case is a position of the pulsar close to the galactic plane a natural consequence. In the first-mentioned case the progenitor system most probably was a cataclysmic-variable binary in which the white dwarf collapsed by accretion.     

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.