Timing Neutron Stars: Pulsations, Oscillations and Explosions

Preface
Contents
Contributors
1 Astrophysical Constraints on Dense Matter in Neutron Stars
	Contents
	1.1 Introduction
	1.2 Expectations from Nuclear Theory
		1.2.1 The Basics: Dense Matter and Neutron Stars
		1.2.2 Models of Matter at High Densities
		1.2.3 Construction of Neutron Star Models from Microphysics
	1.3 Constraints on Mass from Binary Observations
		1.3.1 Newtonian Observations of Binaries
		1.3.2 Post-Keplerian Measurements of Pulsar Binaries
		1.3.3 Dynamically Estimated Neutron Star Masses and Future Prospects
	1.4 Constraints on Radius, and Other Mass Constraints
		1.4.1 Thermonuclear X-ray Bursts
		1.4.2 Fits of Thermal Spectra to Cooling Neutron Stars
		1.4.3 Modeling of Waveforms
		1.4.4 Maximum Spin Rate
		1.4.5 Kilohertz QPOs
		1.4.6 Other Methods to Determine the Radius and Future Prospects
	1.5 Cooling of Neutron Stars
		1.5.1 The URCA Processes
		1.5.2 Additional Neutrino Production Channels and Suppression
		1.5.3 Photon Luminosity and the Minimal Cooling Model
		1.5.4 Observations and Systematic Errors
		1.5.5 Current Status and Future Prospects
	1.6 Gravitational Waves from Coalescing Binaries
	1.7 Summary
	References
2 General Relativity Measurements from Pulsars
	Contents
	2.1 Why Radio Pulsars
	2.2 The Many Faces of the Radio Pulsar Zoo
		2.2.1 Radio Pulsars
		2.2.2 Intermittent Pulsars
		2.2.3 Rotating RAdio Transients
	2.3 Relativistic Binary Pulsars
		2.3.1 Basic Evolution
			2.3.1.1 Pulsars with a Neutron Star Companion
			2.3.1.2 Pulsars with a White Dwarf Companion
			2.3.1.3 Additional Reading
		2.3.2 The Current Sample
	2.4 Pulsar Timing Basics
		2.4.1 Timing Procedure: Measurement of the ToAs
		2.4.2 Timing Procedure: Modelling the ToAs
	2.5 Probing Relativistic Gravity with Pulsars
		2.5.1 Tests Using PPN Parameters
		2.5.2 Tests Using PK Parameters
			2.5.2.1 Double Neutron Star Binaries
			2.5.2.2 The Unique Case of the Double Pulsar
			2.5.2.3 Constraints on Tensor-Scalar Theories
		2.5.3 Future Prospects
	References
3 Magnetars: A Short Review and Some Sparse Considerations
	3.1 Historical Overview
	3.2 Observational Characteristics
		3.2.1 Persistent Emission
			3.2.1.1 X-Ray Emission
			3.2.1.2 Hard-X-Ray Emission
			3.2.1.3 Optical or Infrared Emission
		3.2.2 Transient Activity
			3.2.2.1 Giant Flares
			3.2.2.2 Short Bursts
			3.2.2.3 Outbursts
		3.2.3 Magnetar Formation
		3.2.4 Magnetic Field Evolution and the Neutron Star Bestiary
		3.2.5 Low-B Magnetars and High-B Pulsars
		3.2.6 Magnetars in Binary Systems
	3.3 Final Remarks
	References
4 Accreting Millisecond X-ray Pulsars
	Contents
	4.1 Introduction
	4.2 The Accreting Millisecond X-ray Pulsar Family
		4.2.1 Intermittency
	4.3 Observations of the AMXPs
		4.3.1 SAX J1808.4-3658
		4.3.2 XTE J1751-305
		4.3.3 XTE J0929-314
		4.3.4 XTE J1807-294
		4.3.5 XTE J1814-338
		4.3.6 IGR J00291+5934
		4.3.7 HETE J1900.1-2455
		4.3.8 Swift J1756.9-2508
		4.3.9 Aql X-1
		4.3.10 SAX J1748.9-2021
		4.3.11 NGC 6440 X-2
		4.3.12 IGR J17511-3057
		4.3.13 Swift J1749.4-2807
		4.3.14 IGR J17498-2921
		4.3.15 IGR J18245-2452
	4.4 Accretion Torques
		4.4.1 Coherent Timing Technique
		4.4.2 Observations: Accretion Torques in AMXPs
			4.4.2.1 The Origin of X-ray Timing Noise
	4.5 Pulse Profiles
		4.5.1 Pulse Fractional Amplitudes and Phase Lags
		4.5.2 Pulse Shape Evolution
	4.6 Long Term Evolution and Pulse Formation Process
		4.6.1 Specific Sources
		4.6.2 The Maximum Spin Frequency of Neutron Stars
		4.6.3 Why Do Most Low Mass X-ray Binaries Not Pulsate?
	4.7 Thermonuclear Bursts
	4.8 Aperiodic Variability and kHz QPOs
	4.9 Open Problems and Final Remarks
	References
5 Thermonuclear X-ray Bursts
	Contents
	5.1 Overview
		5.1.1 Theory of Burst Ignition and Nuclear Burning Regimes
			5.1.1.1 Fuel Accretion from a Binary Companion Star
			5.1.1.2 Runaway Thermonuclear Burning in a Thin Shell
			5.1.1.3 Ignition Conditions and the Stability of Burning
			5.1.1.4 Burning Regimes as a Function of Accretion Rate
			5.1.1.5 Base Heating, Rotational Mixing, and Gravitational Separation
		5.1.2 Status of Burst Observations
			5.1.2.1 Low (Hard) State Bursts
			5.1.2.2 High (Soft) State Bursts
			5.1.2.3 The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
	5.2 X-ray Burst Ignition
		5.2.1 Thin-Shell Instability and Electron Degeneracy
		5.2.2 Reignition After a Short Recurrence Time
		5.2.3 Ignition Latitude
	5.3 The Burst Spectral Energy Distribution
		5.3.1 The Continuum Spectrum
		5.3.2 Discrete Spectral Features
	5.4 Interaction with the Accretion Environment
		5.4.1 Reflection by the Accretion Disk
		5.4.2 Anisotropic Emission
	5.5 Burst Oscillations and the Neutron Star Spin
	5.6 mHz Oscillations and Marginally Stable Burning
		5.6.1 Observations of mHz QPOs
		5.6.2 Theoretical Interpretation: Marginally Stable Burning
	5.7 Burst Duration and Fuel Composition
		5.7.1 Intermediate Duration Bursts
		5.7.2 Superbursts
	5.8 Thermonuclear Burst Simulations
		5.8.1 Single-Zone Models
		5.8.2 One-Dimensional Multi-Zone Models
		5.8.3 Multi-Dimensional Models
	5.9 Nuclear Experimental Physics
	5.10 Summary and Outlook
	References
6 High-Frequency Variability in Neutron-Star Low-Mass X-ray Binaries
	Contents
	6.1 Introduction
	6.2 History
	6.3 Basic Frequencies Close to a Neutron Star
	6.4 Timing Phenomenology: QPOs 101
	6.5 Linking Observed Frequencies with Theoretical Expectations
	6.6 QPO Frequency Correlations
	6.7 Relation Between Properties of the kHz QPOs and Parameters of the Energy Spectrum
	6.8 Beyond QPO Frequencies
		6.8.1 The Fractional rms Amplitude of the kHz QPOs
		6.8.2 The Width of the kHz QPOs
		6.8.3 The Energy-Dependent Lags and Coherence of the kHz QPOs
		6.8.4 Other Phenomenology of the kHz QPOs
	6.9 Probing Neutron-Star Interiors and GR with kHz QPO
	6.10 Conclusions and Outlook
	References
Index