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Issue A&A
Volume 368, Number 2, March III 2001
Page(s) L5 - L7
Section Letters
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20010140



A&A 368, L5-L7 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20010140

On the duration of the subsonic propeller state of neutron stars in wind-fed mass-exchange close binary systems

N. R. Ikhsanov1, 2

1  Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany
2  Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Pulkovo, Pulkovo 65-1, 196140 Saint-Petersburg, Russia

(Received 2 January 2001 / Accepted 25 January 2001)

Abstract
The condition for the subsonic propeller $\rightarrow$ accretor state transition of neutron stars in wind-fed mass-exchange binary systems is discussed. I show that the value of the break period, at which the neutron star change its state to accretor, presented by Davies & Pringle (1981) is underestimated by a factor of 7.5. The correct value is $P_{\rm br} \simeq 450\ \mu_{30}^{16/21} \dot{M}_{15}^{-5/7} (M/M_{\odot})^{-4/21}$ s. This result forced us to reconsider some basic conclusions on the efficiency of the propeller spindown mechanism.


Key words: accretion -- propeller spindown -- stars: close binaries -- stars: neutron star




© ESO 2001


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