Unusual pulsar slowdown provides more clues about the stars

New Scientist : Pulsars are neutron stars whose rapid rotation forces beams of radiation from the poles. Over time, the rotation rate gradually slows, and the deceleration is dependent on the pulsar’s age. Some older pulsars become intermittent, decelerating slowly while not emitting much radiation and then decelerating more quickly while emitting lots of radiation. Now, a relatively young pulsar has displayed the characteristic deceleration of those older pulsars. Frank Marshall of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and his colleagues suggest that the star’s magnetic field could be the cause. In intermittent pulsars, as the magnetic field shifts, it alternately traps plasma that releases radio waves and then releases it. Further observations are necessary to determine if the star is an intermittent pulsar, but studying it more closely is likely to provide more information about the behavior of pulsars in general.