The Discovery of Millisecond Pulsars: Don Backer and the Response to the Unexpected

Autor:	Demorest, P. B., Goss, W. M.
Rok vydání:	2024
Předmět:	Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Druh dokumentu:	Working Paper
Popis:	It has now been just over four decades since the first discovery of a millisecond spin period pulsar (MSP), B1937+21, by Don Backer and collaborators in late 1982. This finding of an entirely new class of astronomical object revolutionized pulsar astronomy and provided inspiration for novel scientific investigation for decades to come, continuing to the current day and beyond. Here we review the events leading to the discovery, based on archival material, personal correspondence, and first-hand accounts of several of the participants. We also briefly review the enormous impact that MSPs have had on physics and astronomy by highlighting major MSP-related science of the past 40 years. Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to JAHH
Databáze:	arXiv
Externí odkaz:	http://arxiv.org/abs/2407.18194 Zobrazit plný text záznamu View this record from Arxiv