Precision Timing of Two Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2026

An Experimental Protocol for Femtosecond NIR/UV - XUV Pump-Probe Experiments with Free-Electron Lasers
Published on: October 23, 2018
Abstract:
We report on long-term X-ray timing of two anomalous X-ray pulsars, 1RXS J170849.0-400910 and 1E 2259+586, using the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer. In monthly observations made over 1.4 and 2.6 yr for the two pulsars, respectively, we have obtained phase-coherent timing solutions which imply that these objects have been rotating with great stability throughout the course of our observations. For 1RXS J170849.0-400910, we find a rotation frequency of 0.0909169331(5) Hz and frequency derivative -15.687&parl0;4&parr0;x10-14 Hz s-1 for epoch MJD 51215.931. For 1E 2259+586, we find a rotation frequency of 0.1432880613(2) Hz and frequency derivative -1.0026&parl0;7&parr0;x10-14 Hz s-1 for epoch MJD 51195.583. The rms phase residuals from these simple models are only approximately 0.01 cycles for both sources. We show that the frequency derivative for 1E 2259+586 is inconsistent with that inferred from incoherent frequency observations made over the last 20 yr. Our observations are consistent with the magnetar hypothesis and make binary accretion scenarios appear unlikely.
Related Concept Videos
¹H NMR Signal Multiplicity: Splitting Patterns
NMR Spectrometers: Radiofrequency Pulses and Pulse Sequences
Double Resonance Techniques: Overview
Spin decoupling is usually achieved by...
Detection of Black Holes
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
Doppler Effect - II
Atomic Nuclei: Larmor Precession Frequency
