How Common are Pulsar Debris Disks?

Details How Common are Pulsar Debris Disks? How Common are Pulsar Debris Disks?

May 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011sptz.prop80177w&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #80177

Physics

Scientific paper

We propose a uniform survey of 37 nearby pulsars in order to determine the overall frequency of debris disks around neutron stars. Debris disks around neutron stars are invoked in the formation mechanism of the planets around the pulsar PSR 1257+12 and to explain the intermittent cessation of pulsations for a substantial number of radio pulsars. Furthermore, simulations of supernova explosions predict the existence of so-called fallback disks of material that is not ejected during the supernova. However, the direct detection of such disks has proven elusive. We currently only know of two examples, both discovered with Spitzer around isolated X-ray pulsars. This lack of disk detections might simply be a consequence of the limited size and depth of the observed sample. The presence of such disks has important implications for the general properties of the neutron star population, affecting the spin-down evolution and distribution of magnetic field strength and ages. Additional observations are needed to evaluate whether debris disks are a common feature in the evolution of neutron stars.

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