Abstract The very small braking index of PSR J1734–3333, n = 0.9 ± 0.2, challenges the current theories of braking mechanisms in pulsars. We present a possible interpretation that this pulsar is surrounded by a fall-back disk and braked by it. A modified braking torque is proposed based on the competition between the magnetic energy density of the pulsar and the kinetic energy density of the fall-back disk. With this torque, a self-similar disk can fit all the observed parameters of PSR J1734–3333 with natural initial values of parameters. In this regime, the star will evolve to the region having anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft gamma repeaters in the diagram in about 20 000 years and stay there for a very long time. The mass of the disk around PSR J1734–3333 in our model is about 10M⊕, similar to the observed mass of the disk around AXP 4U 0142+61.
Keywords pulsars: individual (PSR J1734–3333) – stars: evolution – stars: neutron
It accepts original submissions from all over the world and is internationally published and distributed by IOP