Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2001-03-14
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
24 pages, 10 Postscript figures, Submitted to The Astrophysical Journal
Scientific paper
10.1086/323223
Relativistic binary pulsars, such as B1534+12 and B1913+16 are characterized by having close orbits with a binary separation of ~ 3 R_\sun. The progenitor of such a system is a neutron star, helium star binary. The helium star, with a strong stellar wind, is able to spin up its compact companion via accretion. The neutron star's magnetic field is then lowered to observed values of about 10^{10} Gauss. As the pulsar lifetime is inversely proportional to its magnetic field, the possibility of observing such a system is, thus, enhanced by this type of evolution. We will show that a nascent (Crab-like) pulsar in such a system can, through accretion-braking torques (i.e. the "propeller effect") and wind-induced spin-up rates, reach equilibrium periods that are close to observed values. Such processes occur within the relatively short helium star lifetimes. Additionally, we find that the final outcome of such evolutionary scenarios depends strongly on initial parameters, particularly the initial binary separation and helium star mass. It is, indeed, determined that the majority of such systems end up in the pulsar "graveyard", and only a small fraction are strongly recycled. This fact might help to reconcile theoretically expected birth rates with limited observations of relativistic binary pulsars.
Brown Gerald E.
Francischelli G. J.
Wijers Ralph A. M. J.
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