New long-term braking index measurements for glitching pulsars using a glitch-template method

Research at Jodrell Bank Observatory reveals that young glitching pulsars, including PSR B1800-21 and PSR B1823-13, exhibit long-term braking indices (n ≤ 2), suggesting they may be older than previously estimated. This challenges established evolutionary models by introducing a new trend in the P-P' diagram. The study employed a glitch-template method to mitigate timing noise and post-glitch recovery effects, enabling precise measurements for five pulsars, including updated data for Vela. Short-term inter-glitch braking indices (n_ig > 10) were also observed, indicating possible short-term re-coupling and long-term decoupling of superfluid dynamics in these stars. This work sheds light on the complex spin evolution of glitching pulsars and their potential connection to supernova remnants.

Espinoza, C. M., Lyne, A. G., & Stappers, B. W. (2016). New long-term braking index measurements for glitching pulsars using a glitch-template method. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 466(1), 147–162. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw3081