Description
About half of all currently known millisecond pulsars (MSPs) reside in globular clusters. These are
extremely ancient, self-gravitating, spherical stellar systems that orbit our Galaxy. In their cores,
the stellar density can exceed a million solar masses per cubic parsec, providing a formidable
breeding ground for the formation of binary systems in which a neutron star can be spun up by a
companion and eventually become an MSP. Indeed, over 80% of all the pulsars hosted by GCs are
MSPs (with periods smaller than 10 ms).
The number of MSPs in GCs has also increased dramatically over the past few years, thanks to
major surveys conducted with the most sensitive cm-wavelength radio facilities, most notably
MeerKAT and FAST. As of May 2026, more than 300 MSPs are known across 46 different GCs.
In this talk, I will review the rich and diverse population of MSPs in globular clusters. I will
highlight their general characteristics, relating them to the structural parameters of their host
clusters, and briefly discuss some peculiar objects that deserve special attention for their broader
scientific implications.