Abstract
Both the recurrent X-ray transient A0538–66 and its optical counterpart undergo outbursts at intervals which are multiples of 16.6 days1–3. The times of outbursts are subject to appreciable jitter and although typically brief (<1 day) the event can, on occasions, last nearly a complete cycle4. The system lies in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and the Doppler shifts of the quiescent-state optical absorption lines indicate that it is a member of the LMC5,6. This implies an X-ray luminosity during outburst of 8×1038ergs s−1 (2–17 keV)1—higher than that of any other ‘stellar’ X-ray source. We report here the detection, during observations with the Einstein Observatory at the time of an outburst, of X-ray pulsations with a period of 69.2126 ms from A0538–66, adding to the unique properties of this system that of being the fastest X-ray pulsar known to be in a binary system. The observed rate of change of period shows the source to be an eccentric binary system in which the two components approach close to each other during the outbursts and may even become immersed in a common envelope.
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Skinner, G., Bedford, D., Elsner, R. et al. Discovery of 69 ms periodic X-ray pulsations in A0538 — 66. Nature 297, 568–570 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/297568a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/297568a0
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