Recycled pulsars - a historical perspective

Abstract

The first-born neutron star in a binary system will function as a pulsar for a few million years, and then die a natural death as its period lengthens. During mass transfer from the companion star, the dead pulsar will be resurrected from its graveyard. In its reincarnation, the recycled pulsar will have a short rotation period and a much smaller magnetic field than at birth. Although this idea is more than forty years old, with the coming of age of gamma-ray astronomy and the detection of gravitational waves, recycled pulsars have assumed contemporary importance. This article is intended to be a review of the recycling scenario – a history of the seminal ideas and the underlying physics.