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A highly resistive layer within the crust of X-ray pulsars limits their spin periods
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Submitted 24 Apr 2013
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim Here we show that a highly resistive layer in the innermost part of the crust of neutron stars naturally limits the spin period to a maximum value of about 10-20 s.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
The lack of X-ray pulsars with spin periods > 12 s raises the question of where the population of evolved high magnetic field neutron stars has gone. Unlike canonical radio pulsars, X-ray pulsars are not subject to physical limits to the emission mechanism nor observational biases against the detection of sources with longer periods. Here we show that a highly resistive layer in the innermost part of the crust of neutron stars naturally limits the spin period to a maximum value of about 10-20 s. This highly resistive layer is expected if the inner crust is amorphous and heterogeneous in nuclear charge, possibly due to the existence of a nuclear pasta phase. Our findings suggest that the maximum period of isolated X-ray pulsars can be the first observational evidence of an amorphous inner crust, which properties can be further constrained by future X-ray timing missions combined with more detailed models.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | The lack of X-ray pulsars with spin periods > 12 s raises the question of where the population of evolved high magnetic field neutron stars has gone. | background 0.59 | 0.07 | 0.02 | asserted 0.89 |
| s1 | Unlike canonical radio pulsars, X-ray pulsars are not subject to physical limits to the emission mechanism nor observational biases against the detection of sources with longer periods. | background 0.91 | 0.08 | 0.02 | asserted 1.00 |
| s2 | Here we show that a highly resistive layer in the innermost part of the crust of neutron stars naturally limits the spin period to a maximum value of about 10-20 s. | result 0.86 | 0.89 | 0.95 | asserted 1.00 |
| s3 | This highly resistive layer is expected if the inner crust is amorphous and heterogeneous in nuclear charge, possibly due to the existence of a nuclear pasta phase. | interpretation 0.98 | 0.10 | 0.06 | hedged possibility 0.92 |
| s4 | Our findings suggest that the maximum period of isolated X-ray pulsars can be the first observational evidence of an amorphous inner crust, which properties can be further constrained by future X-ray timing missions combined with more detailed models. | interpretation 0.74 | 0.43 | 0.20 | hedged possibility 1.00 |
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Original abstract
The lack of X-ray pulsars with spin periods > 12 s raises the question of where the population of evolved high magnetic field neutron stars has gone. Unlike canonical radio pulsars, X-ray pulsars are not subject to physical limits to the emission mechanism nor observational biases against the detection of sources with longer periods. Here we show that a highly resistive layer in the innermost part of the crust of neutron stars naturally limits the spin period to a maximum value of about 10-20 s. This highly resistive layer is expected if the inner crust is amorphous and heterogeneous in nuclear charge, possibly due to the existence of a nuclear pasta phase. Our findings suggest that the maximum period of isolated X-ray pulsars can be the first observational evidence of an amorphous inner crust, which properties can be further constrained by future X-ray timing missions combined with more detailed models.
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How the literature uses it
11 arXiv papers cite this in 17 sentences
Papers citing it · 15 sentences without a confident label
Cites it as support 2 papers
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Finally, whereas the study of nuclear pasta is fascinating in its own right, it may be the key to explain some interesting astrophysical phenomena such as the lack of X-ray-emitting isolated pulsars with long spin periods [ref] and the slow cooling rate of MXB 1659-29 [ref] , a binary system consisting of a neutron star accreting from a low-mass companion star.
The Nuclear Physics of Neutron Stars · The Inner Crust · 0.98
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Hence, the formation of this “highly resistive layer” could promote magnetic field decay and may ultimately explain the lack of x-ray pulsars with long spin periods [ref] .
Relativistic density functional theory for finite nuclei and neutron stars · The Inner Crust · 0.96
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