Pulsar Kicks

Pulsar Kicks

A pulsar kick refers to the observed phenomenon that the neutron star remnants of many supernovae do not move with the velocity of their progenitor star, but rather with a substantially greater speed. The cause of pulsar kicks is unknown, but many astrophysicists believe that it must be due to an asymmetry in the way a supernova explodes. If true, pulsar kicks would give us insight into the supernova mechanism.