What Makes Pulsars Spin? Exploring the Dynamics of Rotating Neutron Stars
(A) What is the angular speed of the pulsar?
(B) What would be the rotational inertia of the neutron star modeled as a uniform sphere?
Rotational Inertia Calculation:
(C) What is the rotational (kinetic) energy of the pulsar?
Rotational Energy Calculation:
The rotational energy of the pulsar is determined using the formula:
Rotational Energy = (1/2) * rotational inertia * angular speed^2.
Substituting the values obtained for rotational inertia and angular speed:
Rotational Energy ≈ 3.55 x 10^38 J
(D) How much rotational kinetic energy is lost by the pulsar in one second?
Change in Rotational Energy Calculation:
The change in rotational kinetic energy is calculated by the formula:
Change in Rotational Energy = -angular speed * change in angular speed * rotational inertia.
Substituting the given values for change in angular speed and rotational inertia:
Change in Rotational Energy ≈ -5.286 x 10^26 J