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Constraints on pulsar masses from the maximum observed glitch

Nature Astronomy volume 1, Article number: 0134 (2017) Cite this article

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Abstract

Neutron stars are unique cosmic laboratories in which fundamental physics can be probed in extreme conditions not accessible to terrestrial experiments. In particular, the precise timing of rotating magnetized neutron stars (pulsars) reveals sudden jumps in rotational frequency in these otherwise steadily spinning-down objects. These ‘glitches’ are thought to be due to the presence of a superfluid component in the star, and offer a unique glimpse into the interior physics of neutron stars. In this paper we propose an innovative method to constrain the mass of glitching pulsars, using observations of the maximum glitch observed in a star, together with state-of-the-art microphysical models of the pinning interaction between superfluid vortices and ions in the crust. We study the properties of a physically consistent angular momentum reservoir of pinned vorticity, and we find a general inverse relation between the size of the maximum glitch and the pulsar mass. We are then able to estimate the mass of all the observed glitchers that have displayed at least two large events. Our procedure will allow current and future observations of glitching pulsars to constrain not only the physics of glitch models but also the superfluid properties of dense hadronic matter in neutron star interiors.

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Figure 1: Critical lag profile as a function of the cylindrical radiusx.
Figure 2: Upper limit to the mass for a selection of pulsars.
Figure 3: Glitch amplitude as a function of the nominal lag since corotation.
Figure 4: Mass estimates for 17 large glitchers with the Bsk21 equation of state.
Figure 5: Estimates of pulsar masses with different equations of state.

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Acknowledgements

Partial support comes from NewCompStar, COST ActionMP1304. B.H. is supported by a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship, project 702713 Super-DENSE and NCN grant 2015/18/E/ST9/00577.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 16, Milano, 20133, Italy

    P. M. Pizzochero, M. Antonelli & S. Seveso

  2. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, sezione di Milano, Via Celoria 16, Milano, 20133, Italy

    P. M. Pizzochero & M. Antonelli

  3. Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, Bartycka 18, Warszawa, 00-716, Poland

    B. Haskell

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Contributions

P.M.P. led the research, contributed to developing the model and wrote the final manuscript. M.A. contributed to developing the model, selected the observational data, performed the calculations and contributed to the initial manuscript. B.H. contributed to the model and to the initial manuscript. S.S. contributed to the model and selected the observational data.

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Correspondence to P. M. Pizzochero.

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Pizzochero, P., Antonelli, M., Haskell, B. et al. Constraints on pulsar masses from the maximum observed glitch. Nat Astron 1, 0134 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-017-0134

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