Abstract
It is quite likely that fast pulsars are not rare; there are several point-like radio sources with pulsar-like radio spectra that might prove to pulse in the milisecond range (J. H. Taylor, personal communication). The possibility that the recently discovered pulsar1 PSR1937 + 214 is a new class of object has been considered by adherents of the vacuum model2,3. We point out here that the measured parameters of PSR1937 + 214 are consistent with the proposed disk model of radio pulsars4,5. Using the measured values of P and Ṗ and the scalings provided in this theory5, we expect a surface magnetic field strength of ∼108 G, a radio-emission output of 1031 erg s−1, and a weak (below detection with present instruments) output of energy in the X-ray and γ-ray ranges. The surface magnetic field cannot be checked, but the observed radio luminosity1 is 3 × 1030 erg s−1, in gratifying agreement with the theoretical expectation of the disk model.
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Michel, F., Dessler, A. Fast pulsars with disks. Nature 303, 48 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/303048a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/303048a0
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