A 2.14 ms Candidate Optical Pulsar in SN1987A

J. Middleditch; J. A. Kristian; W. E. Kunkel; K. M. Hill; R. M. Watson; R. Luicio; J. N. Imamura; T. Y. Steiman-Cameron; A. Shearer; M. Redfern; R. Butler; A. C. Danks; .

arXiv · astro-ph/0010044

A 2.14 ms Candidate Optical Pulsar in SN1987A

J. Middleditch·J. A. Kristian·W. E. Kunkel·K. M. Hill·R. M. Watson·R. Luicio·J. N. Imamura·T. Y. Steiman-Cameron·A. Shearer·M. Redfern·R. Butler·A. C. Danks·.

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Abstract

We have monitored Supernova 1987A in optical/near-infrared bands from a few weeks following its birth until the present time in order to search for a pulsar remnant. We have found an apparent pattern of emission near the frequency of 467.5 Hz - a 2.14 ms pulsar candidate, first detected in data taken on the remnant at the Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) 2.5-m Dupont telescope during 14-16 Feb. 1992 UT. We detected further signals near the 2.14 ms period on numerous occasions over the next four years in data taken with a variety of telescopes, data systems and detectors, at a number of ground- and space-based observatories. The sequence of detections of this signal from Feb. `92 through August `93, prior to its apparent subsequent fading, is highly improbable (< 1.e-10) for any noise source). We also find evidence for modulation of the 2.14 ms period with a ~1,000 s period which, when taken with the high spindown of the source (2-3e-10 Hz/s), is consistent with precession and spindown via gravitational radiation of a neutron star with a non-axisymmetric oblateness of ~1e-6, and an implied gravitational luminosity exceeding that of the Crab Nebula pulsar by an order of magnitude.

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J. Middleditch, J. A. Kristian, W. E. Kunkel, K. M. Hill, R. M. Watson, R. Luicio, J. N. Imamura, T. Y. Steiman-Cameron, A. Shearer, M. Redfern, R. Butler, A. C. Danks, .. 2000-10-11. A 2.14 ms Candidate Optical Pulsar in SN1987A. https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0010044

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