Neutron star glitches have a substantial minimum size

Neutron star glitches, sudden spin-up events that disrupt the steady slowdown of pulsars, exhibit a substantial minimum size, contrary to previous assumptions. Analyzing 29 years of daily observations from Jodrell Bank Observatory, researchers uncovered the full glitch size distribution for the Crab pulsar, revealing a rapid decline in smaller glitches below approximately 0.05 microhertz. This finding suggests that glitches involve the motion of billions of superfluid vortices and provides a new observable to identify their trigger mechanisms. Additionally, glitches were distinct from other rotational irregularities, supporting the notion that they originate differently from timing noise.

Espinoza, C. M., Antonopoulou, D., Stappers, B. W., Watts, A., & Lyne, A. G. (2014). Neutron star glitches have a substantial minimum size. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 440(3), 2755–2762. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu395