Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review Article
  • Published:

Binary X-ray pulsars

Nature volume 266, pages 123–125 (1977)Cite this article

Abstract

There are nine known X-ray pulsars, which are widely believed to be rotating magnetised neutron stars that are accreting matter from their binary stellar companions. The observed pulse profiles provide information on the physics of the accretion process. We present representative profiles of all nine sources for comparison of general features, and we discuss some of these features in terms of the accreting neutron-star model.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Blumenthal, G. R. & Tucker, W. H. Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 12, 23 (1974) and references therein.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Pringle, J. E. & Rees, M. J. Astron. Astrophys. 21, 1 (1972).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Baan, W. A. & Treves, A. Astron. Astrophys. 22, 421 (1973).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Lamb, F. K., Pethick, C. J. & Pines, D. Astrophys. J. 184, 271 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Davidson, K. & Ostriker, J. P. Astrophys. J. 179, 585 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Giacconi, R., Murray, S., Gursky, H., Kellogg, E., Schreier, E., Matilsky, T., Koch, D. & Tananbaum, H. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 27, 37 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Giacconi, R., Gursky, H., Kellogg, E., Schreier, E. & Tananbaum, H. Astrophys. J. 167, L67 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tananbaum, H., Gursky, H., Kellogg, E. M., Levinson, R., Schreier, E. & Giacconi, R. Astrophys. J. 174, L143 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Joss, P. C. & Rappaport, S. Nature 264, 219 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Lucke, R., Yentis, D., Friedman, H., Fritz, G. & Shulman, S. Astrophys. J. 206, L25 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Primini, F., et al. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 210, L71 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Webster, B. L., Martin, W. L., Feast, M. W., & Andrews, P. J. Nature phys. Sci. 240, 183 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Liller, W. IAU Circ. No. 2469 (1972).

  14. Doxsey, R., Bradt, H. V., Levine, A., Murthy, G. T., Rappaport, S. & Spada, G. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 182, L25 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Giacconi, R., Gursky, H., Kellogg, E., Levinson, R., Schreier, E. & Tananbaum, H. Astrophys. J. 184, 227 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Holt, S. S., Boldt, E. A., Rothschild, R. E., Saba, J. L. R. & Serlemitsos, P. J. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 190, L109 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Giacconi, R. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 262, 312 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Joss, P. C. & Fechner, W. B. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 262, 385 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Shulman, S., Friedman, H., Fritz, G., Henry, R. C. & Yentis, D. J. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 199, L101 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Catura, R. C. & Acton, L. W. X-ray Binaries (NASA SP-389), 119 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Pravdo, S. H., Becker, R. H., Boldt, E. A., Holt, S. S., Rothschild, R. E., Serlemitsos, P. J. & Swank, J. H. X-Ray Binaries (NASA SP-389), 161 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Bahcall, J. N. & Bahcall, N. A. IAU Circ. Nos. 2427 and 2428 (1972).

  23. Ulmer, M. P. Astrophys. J. 204, 548 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Schreier, E., Levinson, R., Gursky, H., Kellogg, E., Tananbaum, H. & Giacconi, R. Astrophys. J. 172, L79 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Swank, J. H., Becker, R., Boldt, E., Holt, S., Pravdo, S., Rothschild, R. & Serlemitsos, P. J. X-Ray Binaries (NASA SP-389), 207 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Tuohy, I. R. X-Ray Binaries (NASA SP-389), 219 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Krzeminski, W. Astrophys. J. 192, L135 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Rosenberg, F. D., Eyles, C. J., Skinner, G. K. & Willmore, A. P. Nature 256, 628 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. Bradt, H., et al. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 204, L67 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Rappaport, S., Joss, P. C., Bradt, H. V., Clark, G. W. & Jernigan, J. G. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 208, L119 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. Ricker, G., Scheepmaker, J. E., Ballintine, J., Doty, J., Kriss, G., Ryckman, S. & Lewin, W. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 204, L73 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. Stier, M. & Liller, W. Astrophys. J. 206, 257 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Lewin, W. H. G., Ricker, G. R. & McClintock, J. E. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 169, L17 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. White, N. E., Huckle, H. E., Mason, K. O., Charles, P. A., Pollard, G., Culhane, J. L. & Sanford, P. W. IAU Circ. No. 2870 (1975).

  35. Becker, R. H., et al., Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 207, L167 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  36. Glass, I. S. & Feast, M. W. Nature phys. Sci. 245, 39 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Davidsen, A., Malina, R. & Bowyer, S. X-ray Binaries (NASA SP-389), 691 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Rappaport, S. & McClintock, J. IAU Circ. No. 2794 (1975).

  39. McClintock, J. E. et al. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 206, L99 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. Hiltner, W. A. IAU Circ. No. 2502 (1973).

  41. Ives, J. C., Sanford, P. W. & Bell Burnell, S. J. Nature 254, 578 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  42. Chevalier, C. & Ilovaisky, S. IAU Circ. No. 2778 (1975).

  43. Fabian, A. C., Pringle, J. E. & Webbink, R. F. Nature 255, 208 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  44. Vidal, N. V. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 186, L81 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Bradt, H. V. IAU. Circ. No. 2957 (1976).

  46. White, N. E., Mason, K. O. & Sanford, P. W. Mon. Not. R. astron. Soc. 176, 201 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  47. Brucato, R. J. & Kristian, J. Astrophys. J. (Lett.) 173, L105 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  48. Bahcall, J. N., Proc. Enrico Fermi Summer School on the Physics and Astrophysics of Neutron Stars and Black Holes (Varenna, Italy, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  49. Terzian, Y. Pulsars (Cornell University Press, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Elsner, R. F. & Lamb, F. K. Nature 262, 356 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  51. Feigelson, E. D. Nature 253, 251 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  52. Gnedin, Yu.N. & Sunyaev, R. A. Astron. Astrophys. 25, 233 (1973).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  53. Henriksen, R. N., Reinhardt, M. & Aschenbach, B. Astron. Astrophys. 28, 47 (1973).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  54. Davidson, K. Nature phys. Sci. 246, 1 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  55. Tsuruta, S. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 262, 391 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  56. Basko, M. M. & Sunyaev, R. A. Astron. Astrophys., 42, 311 (1975).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  57. Wang, Y. -M. Nature 253, 249 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  58. Lodenquai, J., Canuto, V., Ruderman, M. & Tsuruta, S. Astrophys. J. 190, 141 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Pavlov, G. G. & Kaminker, A. D. Sov. Astron. Lett. 1, 181 (1975).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  60. Lamb, F. K. & Sutherland, P. G. IAU Symp. No. 53 (ed. Hansen, C. J.) 265 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1975).

  61. Kanno, S. & Hamada, T. Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 27, 545 (1976).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  62. Boldt, E. A., Holt, S. S., Rothschild, R. E. & Serlemitsos, P. J. X-Ray Binaries (NASA SP-389) 113 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  63. McCray, R. & Lamb, F. K. Astrophys. J. Lett. 204, L115 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  64. Basko, M. M., and Sunyaev, R. A. Astron. Zh. (in the press).

  65. Ginzburg, V. L. & Zheleznyakov, V. V. Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 13, 511 (1975) (and references therein.)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  66. Jones, C., and Forman, W. Astrophys. J. (Lett.), 209, L131 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  67. Lewin, W. H. G., Hoffman, J., and Doty, J. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 8, 442 (1976) (abstr.).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  68. Hoffman, J., Lewin, W. H. G., and Doty, J. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 8, 441 (1976) (abstr.).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139

    S. Rappaport & P. C. Joss

Authors
  1. S. Rappaport
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. C. Joss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rappaport, S., Joss, P. Binary X-ray pulsars. Nature 266, 123–125 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/266123a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/266123a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing