Binary Millisecond Pulsars: The Accretion Induced Collapse hypothesis revisited

Abstract

We model the population characteristics of the sample of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) within a distance of 1.5 kpc. Our study, which takes into consideration acceleration effects on the observed spin-down rate, shows that most MSPs are born with periods that are close to the currently observed values and with average characteristic ages that are typically larger by a factor ∼ 1.5 compared to the true age. The galactic birth rate of the MSPs is deduced to be ≳3.2 × 10-6 yr-1 We also discuss the possibility that accretion induced collapse (AIC) may constitute the main route to the formation of the MSPs. Show more