Glitches due to (quasi) neutron-vortex scattering in the superfluid inner crust of a pulsar

TL;DR

This paper investigates how neutron-vortex scattering in a pulsar's inner crust can cause vortex unpinning, leading to pulsar glitches, with estimates of glitch sizes and the potential for vortex avalanches.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed model of vortex unpinning via neutron-vortex scattering in the pulsar inner crust, highlighting its role in glitch phenomena and estimating glitch sizes.

Findings

Pulsars can release about 10^11 to 10^13 vortices through this mechanism.

Estimated glitch sizes range from 10^-11 to 10^-9 for Vela-like pulsars.

Vortex avalanches could significantly contribute to glitch events.

Abstract

We revisit the mechanism of vortex unpinning caused by the neutron-vortex scattering \cite{prad1} in the inner crust of a pulsar. The strain energy released by the crustquake is assumed to be absorbed in some part of the inner crust and causes pair-breaking quasi-neutron excitations from the existing free neutron superfluid in the bulk of the inner crust. The scattering of these quasi-neutrons with the vortex core normal neutrons unpins a large number of vortices from the thermally affected regions and results in pulsar glitches. We consider the geometry of a cylindrical shell of the affected pinning region to study the implications of the vortex unpinning in the context of pulsar glitches. We find that a pulsar can release about $\sim 10^{11} - 10^{13}$ vortices by this mechanism. These numbers are equivalent to the glitch size of orders $\sim 10^{-11} - 10^{-9}$ for Vela-like pulsars with the characteristic age $\tau \simeq 10^4$ years. We also suggest a possibility of a vortex avalanche triggered by the movement of the unpinned vortices. A rough estimate of the glitch size caused by an avalanche shows an encouraging result.