recycled pulsar

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | 700+ words | Copyright

recycled pulsar A pulsar of unusually low magnetic field (1–100 tesla) and low spin-down rate, frequently of very short pulse period, and often found in a binary system. Recycled pulsars are believed to be ordinary pulsars which have lost energy and faded out, and then been spun up again by accretion of gas from a companion star in a binary system. A high proportion of recycled pulsars are found in the cores of globular clusters, where the high density of stars makes the capture of an old neutron star into a binary system more likely. The first recycled pulsars to be discovered had very short pulse periods and are known as millisecond pulsars, but later examples had much longer periods.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"recycled pulsar." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"recycled pulsar." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-recycledpulsar.html

"recycled pulsar." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-recycledpulsar.html

Learn more about citation styles