Related papers: Pulsar spin-velocity alignment from single and bin…
Using simulations of non-rotating supernova progenitors, we explore the kicks imparted to and the spins induced in the compact objects birthed in core collapse. We find that the recoil due to neutrino emissions can be a factor affecting…
The formation of neutron stars is associated with powerful astrophysical transients such as supernovae. In many cases, asymmetries in the supernova explosions are thought to be responsible for the large observed velocities of neutron stars.…
Recent neutron star surface observations corroborate a long-standing theory that neutron stars may be accelerated over extended periods after their birth. We analyze how these prolonged rocket-like accelerations, combined with rapid birth…
In recent years, the number of pulsars with secure mass measurements has increased to a level that allows us to probe the underlying neutron star (NS) mass distribution in detail. We critically review the radio pulsar mass measurements. For…
Most of massive stars form in binary or higher-order systems in clumpy, sub-structured clusters. In the very first phases of their life, these stars are expected to interact with the surrounding environment, before being released to the…
The prediction of the spins of the compact remnants is a fundamental goal of the theory of stellar evolution. Here, we confront the predictions for white dwarf spins from evolutionary models including rotation with observational…
Spin can have significant effects on the electromagnetic transients accompanying binary neutron star mergers. The measurement of spin can provide important information about binary formation channels. In the absence of a strong neutron star…
Due to the large kick velocities with which neutron stars are born in supernovae explosions, their spatial distribution is more extended than that of their progenitor stars. The large scale height of the neutron stars above the disk plane…
The system PSR J0737-3039 is the only binary pulsar known to consist of two radio pulsars (PSR J0737-3039 A and PSR J0737-3039 B). This unique configuration allows measurements of spin orientation for both pulsars: pulsar A's spin is tilted…
We study the field millisecond pulsar (MSP) population to infer its intrinsic distribution in spin period and luminosity and to determine its spatial distribution within the Galaxy. Our likelihood analysis on data from extant surveys (22…
Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are spun up during their accretion phase in a binary system. The exchange of angular momentum between the accretion disk and the star tends to align the spin and orbital angular momenta on a very short time scale…
The recent discovery of a 2 M_sun binary millisecond pulsar (Demorest et al. 2010) has not only important consequences for the equation-of-state of nuclear matter at high densities but also raises the interesting question if the neutron…
Planet formation is often considered in the context of one circumstellar disk around one star. Yet stellar binary systems are ubiquitous, and thus a substantial fraction of all potential planets must form and evolve in more complex,…
It has been noted that the Crab and Vela pulsar proper motions lie along the symmetry axes of their wind nebulae. In an effort to promote this observation to a serious test of kick physics, we are using CXO images and other data to estimate…
We present an updated list of direct strong evidence in favour of kicks being imparted to newborn neutron stars. In particular we discuss the new cases of evidence resulting from recent observations of the X-ray binary Circinus X-1 and the…
The angle between the stellar spin-axis and the orbital plane of a stellar or planetary companion has important implications for the formation and evolution of such systems. A study by Hale (1994) found that binaries with separations $a <…
We have recently proposed an explanation for the birth velocities of pulsars as resulting from asymmetries due to neutrino oscillations in the cooling protoneutron star. A specific prediction of this mechanism is that the correlation of…
We study galactic enrichment with rapid neutron capture (r-process) elements in cosmological, magnetohydrodynamical simulations of a Milky Way-mass galaxy. We include a variety of enrichment models, based on either neutron star mergers or a…
The merger locations of binary neutron stars (BNSs) encode their galactic kinematics and provide insights into their connection to short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). In this work, we use the sample of Galactic BNSs with measured proper motions…
The mass distribution of neutron stars encodes information about their formation and binary evolution. We compare the masses of two distinct populations: I) the recently identified Gaia neutron stars in wide orbits with solar-like…