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Abstract:
Some implications of earlier work on the coupling of a neutron star's superfluid core to its crust are
clarified. It is shown that the very short time, τv, for the relaxation of relative
velocity between the plasma interior (protons and electrons) and the neutron vortices implies a time scale
τd = τv × (ρ / ρc) for the coupling of the neutron
star's core superfluid to the crust where ρ (ρc) is the total (charged) fluid density.
One consequence of such a short coupling time is that free precession of a neutron star, as is suggested
for the 35-day mode of Her X-1, must be continuously excited, as it would otherwise be damped out in
400-10,000 precession periods.
Paper: [PDF]
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