Science Colloquium
Ultra-Fast Spinning Neutron Stars
Dr. Lorne Nelson
Bishop's University
Thursday, April 13, 2006
12:00 - 12:50 PM
Johnson Room 20
I will discuss how the synthesis of stellar evolution theory and high-energy astrophysics can be used to create a unified picture of the evolution of various classes of pulsars (spinning neutron stars). I will begin by reviewing our current understanding of the formation of pulsars and show that pulsars can be roughly classified by their spin periods. I will demonstrate that the ultra-fast pulsars, with periods as short as 1.4 milliseconds, must have been "recycled" as a result of the accretion of matter by a donor star companion. Finally I will discuss the evolution of the binary systems which spawned millisecond pulsars and show that observations of these systems are in accord with our numerical models.
