Growth of magnetic fields in accreting millisecond pulsars

Abstract

R-modes can generate strong magnetic fields in the core of accreting millisecond neutron stars. The diffusion of these fields outside the core causes the growth of the external magnetic field and thus it affects the evolution of the spin-down rates ̇ P of the millisecond pulsars (MSPs). The diffusion of the internal magnetic field provides a new evolutionary path for the MSPs. This scenario could explain the large ̇ P of the pulsars J1823-3021A and J1824-2452A. © 2012 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.