Why do neutron stars 'glitch'?

[Cooky]

Rotational evolution of the Vela pulsar during the 2016 glitch

Astronomers watched a neutron star 'glitch' and can't yet explain it

Are we in the Matrix?

 

[Revoltingest]

What's a "neuron star"?
Is it like a neutron star?


Gawd, I can be annoying, eh.

Edit: He ruined me fun by fixing the title!

 

[Polymath257]

The best guess is a sort of 'starquake', but doing detailed models has been tricky.

 

[SalixIncendium]

What's a "neuron star"?
Is it like a neutron star?


Gawd, I can be annoying, eh.

It’s a star in your head.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

It’s a star in your head.

I've always been a star in my own mind...is that the same thing?

 

[Salvador]

Rotational evolution of the Vela pulsar during the 2016 glitch

Astronomers watched a neutron star 'glitch' and can't yet explain it

View attachment 32108

Are we in the Matrix?

The neutron star's glitch happens when parts of the star interact with each other. According to Dr. Paul Lasky, “One of these components, a soup of super fluid neutrons in the inner layer of the crust, moves outwards first and hits the rigid outer crust of the star causing it to spin up. “One of these components, a soup of super fluid neutrons in the inner layer of the crust, moves outwards first and hits the rigid outer crust of the star, causing it to spin up,” says Lasky. “But then, a second soup of super fluid that moves in the core catches up to the first, causing the spin of the star to slow back down."

Vela Pulsar's Sound