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Updated: May 17, 2026
11:20
Investigation of Early Plasma Evolution Induced by Ultrashort Laser Pulses
Published on: July 2, 2012
Binary millisecond pulsar discovery via gamma-ray pulsations
H J Pletsch1, L Guillemot, H Fehrmann
1Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut), D-30167 Hannover, Germany. holger.pletsch@aei.mpg.de
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 1, 2012
Summary
Astronomers discovered PSR J1311-3430, a millisecond pulsar, using gamma-ray data. This recycled neutron star has the shortest orbital period ever found for a spin-powered pulsar binary.
Area of Science:
- * Astrophysics
- * High-energy astrophysics
- * Neutron star physics
Background:
- * Millisecond pulsars are old neutron stars with high rotation rates.
- * Previously, these
Purpose of the Study:
- * To detect and identify new pulsars using gamma-ray data.
- * To investigate the nature of an unidentified gamma-ray source.
Main Methods:
- * Conducted a computing-intensive blind search of Fermi Large Area Telescope gamma-ray data.
- * Utilized partial constraints from optical data to refine the search.
Main Results:
- * Detected a 2.5-millisecond pulsar, PSR J1311-3430.
- * Identified the pulsar as the source of a long-standing gamma-ray enigma.
- * Found the pulsar in a circular orbit with a 93-minute period, the shortest known for a spin-powered pulsar binary.
Conclusions:
- * The discovery confirms the existence of millisecond pulsars detectable in gamma-rays.
- * PSR J1311-3430 represents a new record for the shortest orbital period in a spin-powered pulsar binary.
- * This finding opens new avenues for pulsar research and understanding compact object binaries.
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