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Evidence for the free precession of a neutron star

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Abstract

Although the free precession of a neutron star has been put forward as the cause of long-period variations in some X-ray pulsar emissions, no corroborating evidence has been found. The recent observation of a pulsar in Cygnus X-3, a system with a well measured long-period variation, provides an opportunity to examine the possibility of free precession. The properties of the pulsar which have been observed so far are consistent with the neutron star having a small free precession amplitude.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Durham University, Durham, England

    K. J. Orford

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  1. K. J. Orford
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Orford, K.J. Evidence for the free precession of a neutron star. Astrophys Space Sci 129, 181–186 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00717868

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00717868

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