Optical color, polarimetric, and timing measurements of the 50 MS Large Magellanic Cloud pulsar, PSR 0540-69

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (67) References (20) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Optical Color, Polarimetric, and Timing Measurements of the 50 Millisecond Large Magellanic Cloud Pulsar, PSR 0540-69 Middleditch, J. ; Pennypacker, C. R. ; Burns, M. S. Abstract The 50-ms LMC pulsar, PSR 0540-69, is similar to the Crab pulsar in its negative (U-B)0 color of -0.83(0.37) mag (error), but is marginally redder than the Crab from B through R, (B-R)0 = 0.57(0.30). The optical pulse of PSR 0540-69 averages less than 15 percent linear polarization when resolved at 0.05 cycles (= 2.5 ms). An epoch and frequency for PSR 0540-69 are derived over a four-night span. When combined with frequencies derived from past optical and X-ray observations, these frequencies imply a braking index of 3.6(0.8), where 3.0 corresponds to braking by pure magnetic dipole radiation, provided frequency glitches of order one part in 10 million or larger are unlikely to occur during a 6-month interval. The secular decrease of optical luminosity of the Crab pulsar as measured by Kristian (1978) is confirmed. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: April 1987 DOI: 10.1086/165119 Bibcode: 1987ApJ...315..142M Keywords: Color; Magellanic Clouds; Polarimetry; Pulsars; Time Measurement; Linear Polarization; Magnetic Dipoles; Magnitude; Secular Variations; Ultraviolet Spectra; Astrophysics; GALAXIES: MAGELLANIC CLOUDS; POLARIZATION; PULSARS full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (4) NED (2)