Pulse Modulation as a Signature of the Asteroid-Neutron Star Collision Model for High-Energy Transients

Abstract Asteroid-neutron star collision models have been proposed as possible sources of high-energy transients, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and fast radio bursts (FRBs). The sequence of events following the impact of the asteroid and finally dissolving into the neutron star can have several other observable consequences. We propose that due to the development of the off-diagonal moment of inertia (MI) components, the merger’s aftermath can lead to the wobbling of the pulsar (assuming the neutron star happens to be a pulsar). Using sample values of various parameters, viz., size, shape, the locations of the deposits, and the pre-existing pulsar deformation parameter (η), we calculate the detailed pulse profile modulation of the pulsar. We observe a distinct pattern of pulse profile modulation on a characteristic timescale enhanced by a factor of 1/η compared to the pulse timing. Importantly, even small changes in the MI components, of order ε, can produce large pulse profile modulations of order ε/η (depending on the relative location of asteroid material deposition). Thus, if an asteroid-neutron star collision is responsible for a high-energy transient, the associated pulse profile modulation may serve as a falsifiable observational signature of such an event.