Abstract
THE peculiar fan-shaped morphology of the galactic radio source G5.4–1.2 has prompted much speculation about its nature1–4. Here we report high-resolution observations obtained with the Very Large Array, which reveal a compact, highly polarized, flat-spec-trum radio nebula on the western edge of G5.4–1.2. We also confirm the presence of a 125-ms pulsar5, PSR1757–24, associ-ated with the radio source, and find that it is located near the centre of the newly discovered nebula. We argue that the pulsar is associated with G5.4–1.2, which we identify as a supernova remnant, and that it was born with a high enough velocity, ∼ 2,000 kms−1, for it to overtake the decelerating supernova shell, creating the peripheral radio nebula. The fortuitous near-coin-cidence of the pulsar velocity with the shell velocity accounts for the unusual overall shape of the remnant. If the large velocity of the pulsar is confirmed by future observation of its proper motion, the possibility of asymmetric supernova explosions must be taken seriously, and other previously unsuspected associations between pulsars and supernova remnants may emerge.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Milne, D. K. & Dickel, J. R. Nature 231, 13 (1971).
Helfand, D. J. & Becker, R. H. Nature 313, 118–119 (1985).
Becker, R. H. & Helfand, D. J. Nature 313, 115–118 (1985).
Caswell, J. L. et al. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 225, 329–334 (1987).
Manchester, R. N., D'Amico, N. & Tuohy, I. R. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 212, 975–986 (1985).
Haynes, R. F. et al. Nature 324, 233–235 (1986).
Strom, R. G. Astrophys. J. 319, L103–L108 (1987).
Kulkarni, S. R. et al. Nature 331, 50–53 (1988).
Shull, J. M., Fesen, R. A. & Saken, J. M. Astrophys. J. 346, 860–868 (1989).
Hester, J. J. & Kulkarni, S. R. Astrophys. J. 331, L121–L125 (1988).
Braun, R., Goss, W. & Lyne, A. G. Astrophys. J. 340, 355–361 (1989).
Bhattacharya, D. J. Astrophys. Ast. 11, 125–140 (1990).
Blandford, R. D., Applegate, J. H. & Hernquist, L. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 204, 1025–1048 (1983).
Woodward, J. F. Astrophys. J. 279, 803–806 (1984).
Lyne, A. G. & Graham-Smith, F. Pulsar Astronomy (Cambridge University Press, 1990).
Yusef-Zadeh, F. & Bally, J. in The Center of the Galaxy, IAU Symp. 136 (ed. Morris, M.) 197–204 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1989).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Frail, D., Kulkarni, S. Unusual interaction of the high-velocity pulsar PSR1757–24 with the supernova remnant G5.4–1.2. Nature 352, 785–787 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/352785a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/352785a0
This article is cited by
-
RETRACTED ARTICLE: X-ray observations of PSR B0355+54 and its pulsar wind nebula
Astrophysics and Space Science (2007)
-
A large age for the pulsar B1757-24 from an upper limit on its proper motion
Nature (2000)
-
Very low braking index for the Vela pulsar
Nature (1996)
-
High velocity neutron stars and ?-ray bursts
Astrophysics and Space Science (1996)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
