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jflies
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- If a neutron star spins fast enough, doesn't it imply that either (1) surface speeds greater than the speed of light are possible or (2) angular momentum is not conserved?
Sorry if this is a stupid question but I couldn't find an answer anywhere. According to 2 scientific papers, the neutron star PSR J1748-2446ad has a rotation rate of 716Hz, which equates to a linear surface speed of 0.24c. What if this star was originally rotating, let's say, 5 times (or more) faster before it collapsed. That would imply that it's surface speed would reach 1.2c. How could the conservation of momentum hold true unless speeds greater than 1c are allowed?