Spindown of neutron stars in close binary systems

We consider the process by which a rotating, magnetic, non-accreting neutron star spins down by interacting with an external medium, for example a weak stellar wind from a companion star. We find that the spindown rate proposed by Illarionov & Sunyaev (the ‘propeller’ mechanism) is essentially c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 1979-04, Vol.186 (4), p.779-782
Main Authors: Davies, R. E., Fabian, A. C., Pringle, J. E.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We consider the process by which a rotating, magnetic, non-accreting neutron star spins down by interacting with an external medium, for example a weak stellar wind from a companion star. We find that the spindown rate proposed by Illarionov & Sunyaev (the ‘propeller’ mechanism) is essentially correct, and discuss why various other rates proposed in the literature are likely to be overestimates. We also point out that spindown can still occur even when the rotation is subsonic, and accretion is no longer inhibited by a centrifugal barrier. Thus reasonable spindown time-scales for the long-period pulsing X-ray sources may still be feasible.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnras/186.4.779