| Abstract : | The Millisecond Pulsars
Millisecond Pulsars (MSP), defined to be neutron stars with spin-periods less than 20~ms, are understood to be recycled (spun-up) in low-mass binaries through mass accretion. With the advent of highly sensitive telescopes, the number of MSP detections have increased significantly in recent years and ~500 MSPs have now been observed.
We have undertaken a study to understand the presence of distinct sub-classes within the MSP population. It is already known that due to the differences between the binary evolution processes in the Galactic disc and the Globular clusters (much higher frequency of stellar collisions) the statistical nature of the MSP populations in these two regions tend to be different. The present data clearly demonstrates this.
Moreover, we also find that the group of MSPs that are mostly visible in higher (than radio) energy bands tend to be statistically different from the group that are visible in radio. We use various statistical tools to compare these different groups and try to understand their possible formation pathways. In particular, we comment upon the recently discovered MSP J1801-3210, that lies far deep into the pulsar graveyard. |
