Related papers: Observational Constraints on Kicks in Supernovae
In magnetized proto-neutron stars, neutrino cross sections depend asymmetrically on the neutrino momenta due to parity violation. However, these asymmetric opacities do not induce any asymmetric flux in the bulk interior of the star where…
RADIO pulsars are thought to born with spin periods of 0.02-0.5 s and space velocities of 100-1000 km/s, and they are inferred to have initial dipole magnetic fields of 10^{11}-10^{13}. The average space velocity of a normal star in the…
An important recent discovery by Pfahl et al. (2002) is that there are two classes of Be X-ray binaries: one with orbits of small eccentricity (<0.25), in which the neutron stars received hardly any kick velocity at birth and a class with…
When a binary star system is tidally disrupted by a supermassive black hole at a galactic nucleus, one star is ejected at a high speed while the other remains in a tightly bound orbit around the black hole. The cluster of tightly bound…
Massive stars play an important role in explaining the cosmic ray spectrum below the knee, possibly even up to the ankle, i.e. up to energies of 1e15 eV or 1e18.5 eV, respectively. In particular, Supernova Remnants are discussed as one of…
We have recently measured the angle between the spin and orbital angular momenta of PSR B1534+12 to be either 25+/-4 deg or 155+/-4 deg. This misalignment was almost certainly caused by an asymmetry in the supernova explosion that formed…
Recent observations have revealed many new puzzles related to core-collapse supernovae, including the formation of magnetars and black holes and their possible GRB connections. We review our current understanding of the origin of pulsar…
Recent observations of supernovae, supernova remnants, and radio pulsars suggest that there are correlations between pulsar kicks and spins, infrared and gamma-ray line profiles, supernova polarizations, and ejecta debris fields. A…
High-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) are systems in which a neutron star or black hole accretes material from a massive companion. HMXBs are expected to have experienced a supernova in their evolution. The impulsive kick associated with this…
Observations of the spin distribution of rapidly rotating neutron stars show evidence for a lack of stars spinning at frequencies larger than $f\approx 700$ Hz, well below the predictions of theoretical equations of state. This has…
Some fraction of compact binaries that merge within a Hubble time may have formed from two massive stars in isolation. For this isolated-binary formation channel, binaries need to survive two supernova (SN) explosions in addition to…
In recent years, a handful of ``dark" binaries have been discovered with a non-luminous compact object. Astrometry and radial velocity measurements of the bright companion allow us to measure the post-supernova orbital elements of such a…
A series of numerical simulations on magnetorotational core-collapse supernovae are carried out. Dipole-like configurations which are offset northward are assumed for the initially strong magnetic fields together with rapid differential…
Recent observations of pulsar wind nebulae and radio polarization profiles revealed a tendency of the alignment between the spin and velocity directions in neutron stars. We study the condition for spin-kick alignment using a toy model, in…
We study implications for the apparent alignment of the spin axes, proper-motions, and polarization vectors of the Crab and Vela pulsars. The spin axes are deduced from recent Chandra X-ray Observatory images that reveal jets and nebular…
The existence of strange quark stars has been proposed many years ago. More recently, the possible co-existence of a first family composed of "normal" neutron stars with a second family of strange quark stars has been proposed as a solution…
Stellar models of massive single stars are still plagued by major uncertainties. Testing and calibrating against observations is essential for their reliability. For this purpose one preferably uses observed stars that have never…
A remarkably precise observational relation for pulse core component widths of radio pulsars is used to derive stringent limits on pulsar radii, strongly indicating that pulsars are strange stars rather than neutron stars. This is achieved…
The birth properties of neutron stars yield important information on the still debated physical processes that trigger the explosion and on intrinsic neutron-star physics. These properties include the high space velocities of young neutron…
We consider the currently observed spin distributions of various types of neutron stars, including isolated and binary radio millisecond pulsars in the Galactic plane and globular cluster system as well as neutron stars in low-mass X-ray…