We present observations of PSRs J0437-4715, J0738-4042, J0835-4510, J0908-4913, J1048-5832, J1622-4950, J1644-4559, J1721-3532 and J1740-3015 at 17 GHz using the Parkes radio telescope. All nine were detected at 17 GHz, additionally, we detected PSR J0835-4510 and J1622-4950 at 24 GHz. Polarization profiles of each pulsar and the variation with frequency are discussed. In general, we find that the highly polarized edge components of young pulsars continue to dominate their profiles at 17 GHz. Older pulsars (?105 yr) appear to be almost completely depolarized. Our detection of PSR J0437-4715 is the highest frequency observation of a millisecond pulsar to date, and implies a luminosity at 17 GHz of 14 ?Jy kpc2, and a mean spectral index of 2.2. We find that the spectral index of the magnetar PSR J1622-4950 is flat between 1.4 and 24 GHz, similar to the other known radio magnetarsXTE ...
We compare the accretion flow onto the neutron star induced by Roche lobe overflow with that by the overflow from the Be disk, in a zero eccentricity, short period binary with the same mass transfer rate, performing three-dimensional Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics simulations. We find that a persistent accretion disk is formed around the neutron star in both cases. The circularization radius of the material transferred via Roche lobe overflow is larger than that of the material transfered from the Be disk. Thus, the growth of the accretion disk in the former case becomes significantly slower than in the latter case. In both cases, the mass accretion rate is very small and varies little with orbital phase, which is consistent with the observed X-ray behaviour of Be/X-ray binaries with circular orbits (e.g. XTE J1543-568).
We investigate the evolution of Type Ib/c supernova (SN Ib/c) progenitors in close binary systems, using new evolutionary models that include the effects of rotation, with initial masses of 12-25 M_s_u_n for the primary components, and of single helium stars with initial masses of 2.8-20 M_s_u_n. We find that, despite the impact of tidal interaction on the rotation of primary stars, the amount of angular momentum retained in the core at the presupernova stage in different binary model sequences converges to a value similar to those found in previous single star models. This amount is large enough to produce millisecond pulsars, but too small to produce magnetars or long gamma-ray bursts. We employ the most up-to-date estimate for the Wolf-Rayet mass-loss rate, and its implications for SN Ib/c progenitors are discussed in detail. In terms of stellar structure, SN Ib/c progenitors in binary systems at solar metallicity are predicted to have a wide range of final ...