Abstract
Measurements of the periods of pulsars, and of their rate of change with time, are essential in understanding pulsar evolution. For binary pulsars, such as PSR1620–26 in the core of the globular cluster M4, orbital parameters can also be derived from timing measurements. Here we report the results of timing observations of PSR1620 –26, including a first determination of its period derivative P = 3.2±0.4x 10−19ss−1 and its orbital eccentricity e = 0.025316 ±0.000003. The age of this millisecond pulsar is less than 2.2 × 108 years. The relatively high eccentricity is probably a result of gravitational encounters with other stars in the cluster during this time.
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
Lyne, A. G., Biggs, J. D., Brinkow, A., Ashworth, M. & McKenna, J. Nature 332, 45–47 (1988).
Manchester, R. N. & Taylor, J. H. in Pulsars (Freeman, San Francisco, 1977).
Backer, D. C. & Hellings, R. W. A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 24, 537–575 (1986).
Standish, E. M. Astr. Astrophys. 114, 297–302 (1982).
Goss, W. M., Kulkarni, S. R. & Lyne, A. G. Nature 332, 47–49 (1988).
Alpar, M. A., Cheng, A. F., Ruderman, M. A. & Shaham, J. Nature 300, 728–730 (1982).
van den Heuvel, E. P. J. Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 302, 14–35 (1977).
Foster, R. S., Backer, D. C., Taylor, J. H. & Goss, W. M. Astrophys. J. 326, L13–L15 (1988).
White, N. E., & Stella, L. Nature 332, 416–418 (1988).
Rawley, L. A., Taylor, J. H. & Davis, M. M. Astrophys. J. 326, 947–953 (1988).
Hills, J. G. Astr. J. 80, 809–825 (1975).
Heggie, D. C. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 173, 729–787 (1975).
Rappaport, S. A., Putney, A. & Verbunt, F. Astrophys. J. (in the press).
Hills, J. G. Astr. J. 82, 626–630 (1977).
Blandford, R. D., Romani, R. W. & Appiegate, J. H. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 225, 51P–53P (1987).
Weisberg, J. M. & Taylor, J. H. Phys. Rev. Lett. 52, 1349–1350 (1984).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McKenna, J., Lyne, A. Timing measurements of the binary millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster M4. Nature 336, 226–227 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/336226a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/336226a0
This article is cited by
-
A second companion of the millisecond pulsar 1620 – 26
Nature (1993)
-
Genesis of pulsars in globular clusters
Nature (1990)
-
Pulsars: their origin and evolution
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review (1989)
-
Two generations of low-mass x-ray binaries. Recycled radio pulsars
Astrophysics (1989)
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.
