Quote:
Originally posted by VanderL@Mar 20 2004, 05:23 PM
You mean pulsars? They are assumed to be spinning, but maybe what we see as pulses is not the result of a spinning object.
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Yes I mean the millisecond pulsars specifically. These are the ones that are spun up to faster rates by infalling matter from a companion.
If you assume that these things are not spinning, but are sending out very regular signals by some other mechanism, I'd like to see a suggestion for the mechanism. You are still required to have the energy source for the pulse be less than a kilometer across based on the pulse time. That's a lot of energy to get out of a small space in a short time.
Also, as to neutron star size, take a look at the observations of Geminga. This is an old neutron star that is glowing with the right color and brightness to be a black-body radiator. It has an observed opitcal counterpart. Because of proper motion studies we can make a good guess as to its distance. The size determinations are pretty solid scientifically.
One last note is the question: How could a neutron star could form without taking on a high rotation rate? Our sun spins once every 27 days. How fast would it spin if the radius shrunk to 1e-5 the current radius? Note that angular momentum must be conserved.