Spin-reversed accretion as the cause of intermittent spindown in slow X-ray pulsars

Details Spin-reversed accretion as the cause of intermittent spindown in slow X-ray pulsars Spin-reversed accretion as the cause of intermittent spindown in slow X-ray pulsars

Sep 1981

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1981a%26a...102...36w&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 102, no. 1, Sept. 1981, p. 36-44.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

91

Binary Stars, Pulsars, Stellar Mass Accretion, X Ray Astronomy, X Ray Stars, Angular Momentum, Momentum Transfer, Plasma Interactions, Spin Dynamics, Stellar Winds, Torque

Scientific paper

The magnitude and sign of the angular momentum captured by an X-ray pulsar from its mass-losing binary companion are very sensitive to the distribution of the relative flow velocity across the capture cross-section. The observed period increases in some slow X-ray pulsars are attributed to temporary reversals in the spin of the material being accreted by the neutron star. It is shown that, for the majority of the slow rotators, the incoming plasma will interact with the neutron star's magnetic field at a radius where the effect of the magnetospheric rotation can be neglected. Any spindown will be very slow unless the star and plasma rotate in opposite directions, or the magnetic field strength is very high. The angular momentum transmitted in a moderately fast stellar wind is estimated, taking into account gradients in both the wind velocity and density. The conditions under which the captured matter would spin in a retrograde sense are evaluated. Accretion from a slow wind, in which a Keplerian disk may be formed, is also evaluated under similar conditions. The simultaneous measurement of pulse periods and X-ray fluxes during spindown episodes would help discriminate between spin-reversal and propeller type torques.

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