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The magnetic fields, ages, and original spin periods of millisecond pulsarsAccurate determination of the spin-down rates of millisecond pulsars requires consideration of the apparent acceleration of the pulsars due to their high transverse velocities. We show that for several nearby pulsars the neglect of this effect leads to substantial errors in inferred pulsar ages and magnetic fields. Two important ramifications follow. (1) The intrinsic magnetic field strengths of all millisecond pulsars lie below 5 x 10(exp 8) G, strengthening an earlier suggestion of a 'gap' between the magnetic field strengths of millisecond pulsars and of high-mass binary pulsars such as PSR B1913+16, which are thought to have been formed by mass transfer in low-mass and high-mass X-ray binaries, respectively. This result suggests that the magnetic field strengths of recycled pulsars are related to their formation and evolution in binary systems. (2) The corrected characteristic ages of several millisecond pulsars appear to be greater than the age of the Galactic disk. We reconcile this apparent paradox by suggesting that some millisecond pulsars were born with periods close to their current periods. This conclusion has important implications for the interpretation of the cooling ages of white dwarf companions, the birthrate discrepancy between millisecond pulsars and their X-ray binary progenitors, and the possible existence of a class of weakly magnetized (B much less than 10(exp 8)G), rapidly rotating neutron stars.
Document ID
19950034790
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Camilo, F.
(Princeton University Princeton, NJ, United States)
Thorsett, S. E.
(California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA United States)
Kulkarni, S. R.
(California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 20, 1994
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal, Part 2
Volume: 421
ISSN: 0004-637X
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
95A66389
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-2394
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AST-91-15103
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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