Exploration of the $\ps-\pb$ Relation for Wind-Fed X-Ray Pulsars

Abstract

We have investigated the relation between the orbital periods ($\pb$) and the spin periods ($\ps$) of wind-fed X-ray pulsars in high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), based on population synthesis calculations of the spin evolution of neutron stars during the pre-HMXB stage. We show that most of the neutron stars either have steady accretion or still reside in the radio pulsar phase when the donor star starts evolving off the main sequence. In the former case the values of $\ps$ can be decelerated to be $\sim 10^2-10^3$ s depending on $\pb$. We briefly discuss the possible origin of the $\ps-\pb$ correlation in Be/X-ray binaries, and the existence of HMXBs with main sequence donors. We have also investigated the evolution of the inclination angle between the magnetic and spin axes of neutron stars in a massive binary, suggesting secular alignment of the magnetic and spin axes during their evolution.

arXiv comment18 pages,5 figures, accepted by ApJ

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• Discovery of slow X-ray pulsations in the high-mass X-ray binary 4U 2206+54
• On the Spin Period Distribution in Be/X-ray Binaries
• Could SXP 1062 be an Accreting Magnetar?
• On the Common Envelope Efficiency
• Population synthesis on high-mass X-ray binaries: prospects and constraints from the universal X-ray luminosity function
• X-ray luminosity function of high-mass X-ray binaries: Studying the signatures of different physical processes using detailed binary evolution calculations
• Understanding the coexistence of spin-up and spin-down behaviors in long period X-ray pulsars
• Can eccentric binary millisecond pulsars form by accretion induced collapse of white dwarfs?
• Common Envelope Mechanisms: Constraints from the X-ray Luminosity Function of High Mass X-ray Binaries
• Can the Subsonic Accretion Model Explain the Spin Period Distribution of Wind-fed X-ray Pulsars?
• Exploration of Spin-down Rate of Neutron Star in High Mass X-ray Binaries
• Could AX J1841.0$-$0536 Be an Anti-Magnetar?