Monopolar pulsar spin-down

A multipole spin-down equation based on a monopolar term is derived from the general expression. (nu) over dot = - f (nu; t) and used to study pulsar evolution. We show that the time-independent version of such equation cannot reproduce the observed properties of pulsars and conclude that there is no equation of the form (nu) over dot = - f (nu) consistent with the P-(P) over dot diagram and braking index measurements. We explore the time-dependent model under the hypothesis of decaying magnetic fields, showing that an inverse linear decay gives reasonable evolutionary trajectories. This model distinguishes the evolution of Vela from that of the other three young pulsars considered. We discuss the origin of the monopolar term, which cannot be attributed to radiative processes, pointing to the importance of particle acceleration and/or mass loss processes in the dynamical evolution of pulsars.