Pulsar Glitch Energetics and the Density Ceiling

This paper computes the rotational energy released in pulsar glitches from catalogue glitch sizes and a canonical moment of inertia, compares the densities and energy densities involved with the density ceiling of a bounced cosmology, and states the resulting bound on any torsion correction to glitch dynamics. The headline results are as follows. Energy of a typical Vela glitch with fractional size one part in a million: 4.94e+42 erg; Energy of the largest catalogue glitch at three parts in a million: 1.53e+43 erg; Mean density of a canonical neutron star: 3.85e+17 kg m-3; Ratio of neutron star mean density to the density ceiling: 3.96e-41; Rotational energy released per unit volume in the largest glitch: 2.12e+23 J m-3; Fractional spin change the ceiling density would allow before torsion back-reaction at stellar density: 3.96e-41. All values are computed from the stated assumptions and published inputs; the study is simulated and computed, not measured.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-11-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24147795
Primary Topic
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Pulsar Glitch Energetics and the Density Ceiling

William Alexander Aldred
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
article

Pulsar Glitch Energetics and the Density Ceiling

William Alexander Aldred
article en

Abstract

This paper computes the rotational energy released in pulsar glitches from catalogue glitch sizes and a canonical moment of inertia, compares the densities and energy densities involved with the density ceiling of a bounced cosmology, and states the resulting bound on any torsion correction to glitch dynamics. The headline results are as follows. Energy of a typical Vela glitch with fractional size one part in a million: 4.94e+42 erg; Energy of the largest catalogue glitch at three parts in a million: 1.53e+43 erg; Mean density of a canonical neutron star: 3.85e+17 kg m-3; Ratio of neutron star mean density to the density ceiling: 3.96e-41; Rotational energy released per unit volume in the largest glitch: 2.12e+23 J m-3; Fractional spin change the ceiling density would allow before torsion back-reaction at stellar density: 3.96e-41. All values are computed from the stated assumptions and published inputs; the study is simulated and computed, not measured.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
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