Implications of the Occurrence of Glitches in Pulsar Free Precession Candidates

TL;DR

This paper investigates the relationship between pulsar glitches and free precession, revealing inconsistencies that suggest the need for revised models or alternative explanations for observed quasiperiodicities in pulsar timing.

Contribution

It develops new consistency relations between pulsar glitches and free precession, highlighting challenges in reconciling these phenomena in certain pulsar candidates.

Findings

Difficulties in matching glitch and precession observations

Indications that current precession models may be incomplete

Potential need for alternative explanations for quasiperiodicities

Abstract

The timing properties of radio pulsars provide a unique probe of neutron star interiors. Recent observations have uncovered quasiperiodicities in the timing and pulse properties of some pulsars, a phenomenon that has often been attributed to free precession of the neutron star, with profound implications for the distribution of superfluidity and superconductivity in the star. We advance this program by developing consistency relations between free precession and pulsars glitches, and we show that there are difficulties in reconciling the two phenomena in some precession candidates. This indicates that the precession model used here needs to be modified or some other phenomenon is at work in producing the quasiperiodicities, or even that there is something missing in terms of our understanding of glitches.