The Vela Pulsar is a peculiar neutron star that spin on its axis every 89.33 msec . At the time of its discovery , it was the quickest - revolve pulsar ever found , and while that it is no longer the case , research worker have discover other prop that make it middling special . In particular , the pulsar bug .
On December 12 , 2016 , the Vela Pulsar was caught glitching liveby researchers on - site . The Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory captured the star decease from its constant spinning to a more disorderly one . The Telescope witnessed a broad pulse , followed by a missing one , and then two short I whose discharge were linearly polarized .
A team of researchers have now reanalyzed the information collected in 2016 and uncovered some new fact about the glitch . As reported inNature Astronomy , the star ’s revolution rush along up during the glitch before move back down to the usual floor . The scientists were able to better constrain the whole effect , finding that it took less than 12.6 seconds to acquire . They then used the newfangled constraints to improve model of the interior of pulsars .
Many questions remain regarding the interior of these defunct stars , basically those with unbelievably dumb collapsed cores from star that fit supernova . In their interiors , matter gets into all kinds of eldritch states . Researchers cogitate that the interaction between the extremely difficult encrustation and its peculiar superfluid layer below is responsible for the glitch . This work suggests that three constituent are at workplace here .
" One of these component , a soup of superfluid neutron in the inner layer of the crust , affect outwards first and hits the rigid tabu crust of the star cause it to whirl up , " cobalt - writer Dr Paul Lasky , from Monash University , say in astatement . " But then , a 2d soup of superfluid that moves in the core catches up to the first causing the spin of the hotshot to slow back down . ”
The team also see something that was n’t expected , and ground on what we get laid about neutron star topology , should n’t have find .
" Immediately before the glitch , we detect that the star seems to slow up down its rotation rate before reel back up , " append lead author Dr Greg Ashton , also at Monash . " We really have no thought why this is , and it ’s the first time it ’s ever been seen . It could be related to the cause of the bug , but we ’re aboveboard not sure . “Hopefully , some theoretical physicist can use this data to meliorate our manikin . And if more data is necessitate , the Vela Pulsar is quick to supply : It incline to have a glitch roughly every three years .
