Abstract
RADIO pulsar PSR1913+16, which has a period of about 59 ms, has been identified as a member of a binary system1. The X-ray ‘oscillars’ HerX-1 and CenX-3, which are also members of binary systems, are not radio pulsars. (I use the word ‘oscillars’ to distinguish these objects from pulsars, which maintain their periodicity much more accurately). These facts, together with the 34-d periodicity2,3 of HerX-1 and the lack of this periodicity in CenX-3, can be explained by using the rotating neutron star hypothesis for the compact object in all of these systems. As is common in pulsar theories, I assume that rotating neutron stars are oblique rotators, that they have magnetic fields and that the magnetic axes are not along the axes of rotation.
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
Rent or buy this article
Get just this article for as long as you need it
$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Taylor, J. H., and Hulse, G. A., IAU Circ. No. 2704 (1974).
Schreier, E., Levinson, R., Gursky, H., Kellogg, E., Tannanbaum, H., and Giacconi, R., Astrophys J. Lett., 172, L79 (1972).
Tannanbaum, H., Gursky, H., Kellogg, E., Levinson, R., Schreier, E., and Giacconi, R., ibid., 174, L143 (1972).
Goldreich, P., Proc. astr. Soc. Aust., 1, 227 (1969).
McCray, R., Nature phys. Sci., 243, 94 (1973).
Haar, D., Phys. Rep., 3 C, 57 (1972).
Fabian, A., Pringle, J. E., and Rees, M. J., Nature, 244, 212 (1973).
Margon, B., et al., IAU Circ. No. 2712 (1974).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
APPARAO, K. Oblique rotators in binary systems. Nature 253, 27–28 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253027b0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253027b0
This article is cited by
-
Celestial binary X-ray sources
Space Science Reviews (1976)
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.
