Numerical Models of Spin-Orbital Coupling in Neutron Star Binaries

Abstract

We present a new numerical scheme for solving the initial value problem for quasiequilibrium binary neutron stars allowing for arbitrary spins. We construct sequences of circular-orbit binaries of varying separation, keeping the rest mass and circulation constant along each sequence. The spin angular frequency of the stars is shown to vary along the sequence, a result that can be derived analytically in the PPN limit. This spin effect, in addition to leaving an imprint on the gravitational waveform emitted during binary inspiral, is measurable in the electromagnetic signal if one of the stars is a pulsar visible from Earth.