Binary Pulsars: Observations and Implications

Abstract

The Galaxy contains a large number of neutron stars in gravitation-ally bound binary systems. Among the most fruitful of these to study have been the binary radio pulsars, of which seven are now known. Unlike the “accretion-powered” neutron stars located in mass-exchanging X-ray binary systems, the “rotation-powered” binary radio pulsars are found in dynamically simple, clean systems in which both stellar components have already completed their nuclear evolution, thereby shedding their atmospheres and most of their mass. In such circumstances the orbital parameters of the system and the rotational parameters of the pulsar can be determined with high precision from analysis of pulse timing data. These measurements constrain the component masses and yield an estimate of the pulsar's magnetic dipole moment, which turns out to be an essential parameter in understanding the evolution of the systems. In this paper I review the known facts concerning binary pulsars, and then briefly discuss some implications for our understanding of the place of neutron stars in stellar evolution.