Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Submillisecond optical pulsar in supernova 1987A

Nature volume 338, pages 234–236 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

WE have detected an optical pulsar with frequency f = 1,968.629 Hz at the location of supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The brightness of the pulsed light increased from magnitude 19 to 18 during a 7-h observation period starting on 18.1 January 1989 UT, in observations taken using the 4-m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. The frequency of the pulsar during this same period varied in a nearly sinusoidal manner, with an amplitude of 1.5 x 10-3 Hz and a period of 8h. If this is interpreted as the result of a binary orbit, it suggests that there may be a Jupiter-sized object orbiting the pulsar at a distance of 106 km. No significant pulsations were seen in data taken with the same detection system at the 100" telescope at Las Campanas Observatory on 31 January UT, indicating that the pulsar had dropped below our detection limit of magnitude 20. Significant second (2f) and third (3f) harmonics were also observed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Middleditch, J. et al. IAU Circ. No. 4735, (1989).

  2. Pennypacker, C. et al. Astrophys. J. (in the press).

  3. Middleditch, J. & Cordova, F. A. Astrophys. J. 255, 585–595 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Middleditch, J. & Kristian, J. Astrophys. J. 279, 157–162 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Friedman, J. L., Ipser, J. R. & Parker, L. Nature 312, 255–257 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Friedman, J. L., Imamura, J. N., Durisen, R. H. & Parker, L. Nature 336, 560–562 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Fruchter, A. S., Stinebring, D. R. & Taylor, J. H. Nature 333, 237–239 (1988).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mt Wilson and Las Campanas Observatories, Pasadena, California, USA

    J. Kristian

  2. University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA

    C. R. Pennypacker, D. E. Morris, R. A. Muller, S. Perlmutter & T. P. Sasseen

  3. Los Alamos National Laboratory, PO Box 1663, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545, USA

    J. Middledrtch

  4. Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Casilla 603, La Serena, 1353, Chile

    M. A. Hamuy & W. E. Kunkel

  5. Institute of Theoretical Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403, USA

    J. N. Imamura

  6. Mt Stromlo & Siding Spring Observatories, Australian National University, ACT, 2606, Australia

    S. J. Rawlings & I. R. Tuohy

  7. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 1A1

    I. K. Shelton

  8. NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, California, 94035, USA

    T. Y. Steiman-Cameron

  9. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA

    R. Lucinio

Authors
  1. J. Kristian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. R. Pennypacker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. Middledrtch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. A. Hamuy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. J. N. Imamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. W. E. Kunkel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. R. Lucinio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. D. E. Morris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. R. A. Muller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. S. Perlmutter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. S. J. Rawlings
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. T. P. Sasseen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. I. K. Shelton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. T. Y. Steiman-Cameron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. I. R. Tuohy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kristian, J., Pennypacker, C., Middledrtch, J. et al. Submillisecond optical pulsar in supernova 1987A. Nature 338, 234–236 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/338234a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/338234a0

This article is cited by

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.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing