2003/12/19 by Dong Lai, Lai, Dong
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0312542
11 pages, to appear in 3D Signatures of Stellar Explosion, a workshop honoring J.C. Wheeler's 60th Birthday
arxiv created 2003/12/19 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
Observations over the last decade have shown that neutron stars receive a large kick velocity (of order a hundred to a thousand km/s) at birth. The physical origin of the kicks and the related supernova asymmetry is one of the central unsolved mysteries of supernova research. We review the physics of different kick mechanisms, including hydrodynamically driven, neutrino -- magnetic field driven, and electromagnetically driven kicks. The viabilities of the different kick mechanisms are directly related to the other key parameters characterizing nascent neutron stars, such as the initial magnetic field and the initial spin. Recent observational constraints on kick mechanisms are also discussed.