1998/08/12 by Michael Kramer, M. Krämer · 10 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/306535
16 pages, incl. 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
arxiv created 1998/08/12 · openalex publication_date 1998/12/20 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
New observations of the binary pulsar B1913+16 are presented. Since 1978 the leading component of the pulse profile has weakened dramatically by about 40%. For the first time, a decrease in component separation is observed, consistent with expectations of geodetic precession. Assuming the correctness of general relativity and a circular hollow-cone-like beam, a fully consistent model for the system geometry is developed. The misalignment angle between pulsar spin and orbital momentum is determined, giving direct evidence for an asymmetric kick during the second supernova explosion. It is argued that the orbital inclination angle is 132 8 (rather than 47 2). A prediction of this model is that PSR B1913+16 will no longer be observable after the year 2025.