PSR B1931+24 is a pulsar located 4.64 kiloparsecs from the Earth in the Vulpecula constellation, with a rotational period of 0.8136 seconds and an estimated age of 1.59 million years.[2] It was discovered in 1985 with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Green Bank Telescope, but its intermittent properties were not discovered until 13 years later at Jodrell Bank Observatory.[3][4] It is the first intermittent radio pulsar ever discovered[5], regularly emitting pulses for 5-10 days, before stopping for 25-35 days.[4][6][7][8] Its rotation slows down at a 50% greater rate while emitting pulses.[8] In 2025, it was discovered that PSR B1931+24 did not completely cease emissions when not pulsing, but released weak emissions and occasional dwarf pulses.[7]
It is one of two pulsars known to stop pulsing for more than a few minutes, with the other being PSR J1841−0500 which stopped pulsing for 580 days.[9]
References
- 1 2 "PSR B1931+24". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- 1 2 Han, J. L.; Manchester, R. N.; van Straten, W.; Demorest, P. (January 15, 2018). "Pulsar Rotation Measures and Large-scale Magnetic Field Reversals in the Galactic Disk". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 234 (11): 11. arXiv:1712.01997. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/aa9c45 – via IOPscience.
- ↑ Stokes G. H., Taylor J. H., Weisberg J. M., Dewey R. J.., Nat, 1985, vol. 317 pg. 787
- 1 2 Young, N. J.; Stappers, B. W.; Lyne, A. G.; Weltevrede, P.; Kramer, M.; Cognard, I. (January 4, 2013). "Long-term radio observations of the intermittent pulsar B1931+24". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 429 (3): 2569–2580. arXiv:1212.0327. doi:10.1093/mnras/sts532.
- ↑ Rea, N.; Kramer, M.; Stella, L.; Jonker, P. G.; Bassa, C. G.; Groot, P. J.; Israel, G. L.; Méndex, M.; Possenti, A.; Lyne, A. (December 2008). "On the nature of the intermittent pulsar PSRB1931+24". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 391 (2): 663–667. arXiv:astro-ph/0610802. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.391..663R. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13795.x.
- ↑ Curtis, Michel F. (March 2010). "Theory of Pulsar Action as Revealed by PSR B1931+24 (the "intermittent Pulsar")". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 41: 682. Bibcode:2010HEAD...11.1621M.
- 1 2 Rusul, Abdujappar; Wen, Z. G.; Yuan, J. P.; Esamdin, Ali; Zheng, X. P.; Kramer, Michael (July 7, 2025). "Revealing the Unseen: The Discovery of Long-Awaited Radiation from the Intermittent Pulsar PSR B1931+24". Astrophysical Journal Letters. 999 (1): L5. arXiv:2507.04816. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ae3f2a.
- 1 2 Kramer, M.; Lyne, A. G.; O'Brien, J. T.; Jordan, C. A.; Lorimer, D. R. (April 28, 2006). "A Periodically Active Pulsar Giving Insight into Magnetospheric Physics". Science. 312 (5773): 549–551. arXiv:astro-ph/0604605. doi:10.1126/science.1124060. PMID 16497886.
- ↑ Camilo, F; Ransom, S. M; Chatterjee, S; Johnston, S; Demorest, P (November 24, 2011). "PSR J1841-0500: a radio pulsar that mostly is not there". The Astrophysical Journal. 746 (1): 63. arXiv:1111.5870. Bibcode:2012ApJ...746...63C. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/746/1/63. S2CID 118651283.
