Pulsars

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Questions in this category have been asked by DC, PJ

  • Can you get pulsed emission from a compact object?
  • What are X-ray pulsars & why do we observe pulsed X-ray emission?
  • What is a radio pulsar?
    • What powers it?
    • How can we measure the power radiated?
  • What are typical pulsar periods?
    • What's the difference between millisecond and second pulsars?
    • Why is the period approximately constant?
    • Why does it decay?
    • Why does the B field decay?
  • What's the significance of the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar?
  • What do you know about gravitational radiation?
  • What's the significance of the Crab nebula?
  • What is the radiation mechanism in the Crab nebula
  • How does the crab pulsar transfer energy to the rest of the nebula?
  • Plot the arrival time vs time for the Hulse Taylor pulsar. Explain why it is so. Is the binary eccentric?
  • Trick question: What prevents a neutron star from collapsing (NOT the fermi degeneracy pressure of neutrons). What is the maximum mass?
  • How would you define the regime of "Strong Gravity". Is the Hulse Taylor Pulsar in the Strong Gravity Regime? (SR)
  • Describe the formation scenario for a Neutron Star-Neutron Star binary system. (SH)

Astrophysics