Ultimately all pulsars slow down. Pulsars are rotating neutron stars.
We see the pulse whenever the beam from one of the poles points in our
direction. A pulsar emits a massive amount of energy and there is drag
from the rotating magnetic field in its stellar environment. There is
also matter falling onto the neutron star and the crust can flex and
shift (star quakes). All these lead to variations in the period.
Mike
On 3/28/2012 6:20 PM, Hal Murray wrote:
All that is of course correct. But ultimately the pulsars are a better
source, I see it as an application question, could it be utilized? Perhaps
building an algorithm and basing corrections on multiple pulsars x-ray
pulses like a GPS constellation for the next generation of conventional GPS.
I think modern atomic clocks are better than Pulsars.
Unfortunately, I don't have a good reference handy. I think the theorists
have several ideas for why the period of Pulsars change.
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