English

Autocorrelations in pulsar glitch waiting times and sizes

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena 2019-07-31 v1

Abstract

Among the five pulsars with the most recorded rotational glitches, only PSR J0534++2200 is found to have an autocorrelation between consecutive glitch sizes which differs significantly from zero (Spearman correlation coefficient ρ=0.46\rho=-0.46, p-value =0.046=0.046). No statistically compelling autocorrelations between consecutive waiting times are found. The autocorrelation observations are interpreted within the framework of a predictive meta-model describing stress-release in terms of a state-dependent Poisson process. Specific combinations of size and waiting time autocorrelations are identified, alongside combinations of cross-correlations and size and waiting time distributions, that are allowed or excluded within the meta-model. For example, future observations of any "quasiperiodic" glitching pulsar, such as PSR J0537-6910, should not reveal a positive waiting time autocorrelation. The implications for microphysical models of the stress-release process driving pulsar glitches are discussed briefly.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1907.09143,
  title  = {Autocorrelations in pulsar glitch waiting times and sizes},
  author = {Julian B. Carlin and Andrew Melatos},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1907.09143},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

8 pages, 5 figures. MNRAS accepted