Post-glitch Recovery and the Neutron Star Structure: The Vela Pulsar
Post-glitch Recovery and the Neutron Star Structure: The Vela Pulsar
Himanshu Grover, Erbil Gügercinoğlu, Bhal Chandra Joshi, M. A. Krishnakumar, Shantanu Desai, P. Arumugam, Debades Bandyopadhyay
AbstractPulsar glitches, sudden changes in a neutron star's rotation, offer a unique window into the extreme physics governing these celestial bodies. The post-glitch recovery phase, characterized by a gradual recovery, reveals insights into the superfluid dynamics within the star. The post-glitch recovery phase probes the coupling mechanisms between different stellar components, sheds light on the properties of neutron star matter at supra-nuclear densities and even allows us to predict the time to the next glitch. In this work, we present a detailed analysis of the Vela pulsar's rotational behavior using around 100 months of observational data spanning from September 2016 to January 2025, during which four glitches were identified. Here, we demonstrate the post-glitch recovery of these glitches within the framework of the vortex creep model, providing new insights into the Vela pulsar's internal structure. Notably, we present the first-ever investigation of vortex residuals (the discrepancy between observed values and those predicted by the vortex creep model) through the lens of the vortex bending model, marking a significant step forward in understanding neutron star physics through pulsar glitches.