Abstract:
A total of 660 discrete jumps in the rotation frequency () and the spin-down rate () of about 140 pulsars were studied. Out of the 660 discrete jumps, 394 were classical glitches (the so-called macroglitches) and 266 were microglitches. The objects are grouped into normal radio pulsars, anomalous x-ray pulsars and recycled millisecond pulsars. A bimodal distribution was observed in many of the pulsar glitch parameters, namely the discrete absolute fractional jumps in the rotation frequency (), the entire absolute discrete jumps in the spin down rate (|Δ|), cumulative of the absolute jumps in the rotation frequency (), cumulative of the absolute fractional jumps in rotation frequency ) for macroglitches may suggest that glitch events may be triggered by dual glitch mechanism. The distribution of the entire absolute discrete fractional jumps in the rotation frequency (||) cumulative of the absolute jumps in the rotation frequency () and the cumulative of the absolute jumps in spin down rate (∑|Δ|) of microglitches equally suggests that a glitch event is triggered by one mechanism. It was observed that some of the macroglitches have magnitudes in (rotation frequency) which overlapped with the microglitches completely which suggest that some of the rotational jumps that was characterized as macroglitches by previous authors should have been recorded as microglitches since their glitch magnitude . The distribution of the glitches over the spin down parameters shows that pulsars with characteristic age 3 4, rotational frequency of 0.9, spin down rate ) and surface magnetic field strength of 12 13 on logarithmic scales exhibit the highest frequency of macroglitches while those within the characteristic age 5 6 , rotational frequency of 0.4 , spin down rate of and surface magnetic field strength of 11 12 on logarithmic scales exhibit the highest frequency of microglitches. From the regression analysis, it was observed that there was a strong positive linear relationship between () (∑|Δ|)for the macroglitches and microglitches data when analysed separately and jointly. There was no correlation between () data for both samples. On the otherhand, there was a strong ( || correlation for the macroglitches and microglitches data when analysed separately and jointly.
