Abstract
The 1.5-ms pulsar PSR1937+214 is an unusual object; its extremely short period and slow spin-down rate imply a magnetic field1 of 4×108 G, much lower than that of a canonical pulsar. Contrary to previous models, we propose here, as an explanation for these properties, that PSR1937+214 is a young neutron star (consistent with a kinematic age of ∼106 yr) spun up by accretion from a high-mass companion in a close binary system. The supercritical mass transfer rates expected in such a binary system should allow the neutron star to be spun up in the comparatively short time of ∼104 yr. The accretion process will also power thermomagnetic effects that could remove the strong magnetic field of a young pulsar from the crust of the star in a similarly short timescale. Such a high-mass binary system is expected to disrupt when the companion explodes in a supernova. Thus a spin-up model in a high-mass system can explain the lack of a companion, low magnetic field, and high spin rate of PSR1937+214.
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Blondin, J., Freese, K. Is the 1.5-ms pulsar a young neutron star?. Nature 323, 786–788 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/323786a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/323786a0
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