Pulsars and Close Binary Systems

Abstract

It is first considered what must happen if pulsars (i.e. neutron stars) are formed in close binary systems (CBS), and whether the resulting orbital motion and mass transfer should be observable. As this set of alternatives seems unlikely, there follow suggestions of how one might prevent the formation of neutron stars in close binaries. Finally, it is shown that ‘runaway’ pulsars with velocities larger than about 15 km/sec cannot be produced by isotropic supernova explosions within close binaries, and an alternative explanation is suggested for the observed correlation of periods of pulsars with their distances from the galactic plane.