Pulsar Acceleration Shifts from nearby Supernova Explosion

TL;DR

This paper discusses how a nearby supernova explosion causes specific, detectable changes in the timing of pulsar signals, enabling new measurements of supernova energy and system orientation.

Contribution

It introduces a method to detect supernova-induced acceleration shifts in pulsar signals, providing a new way to study supernova energetics and geometry.

Findings

Supernova explosions induce measurable pulsar timing shifts.

Stable millisecond pulsars can detect these acceleration effects.

Potential to improve supernova energy and orientation measurements.

Abstract

We show that when a supernova explodes, a nearby pulsar signal goes through a very specific change. The observed period first changes smoothly, then is followed by a sudden change in the time derivative. A stable millisecond pulsar can allow us to measure such an effect. This may improve our measurement of the total energy released in neutrinos and also the orientation of the supernova-pulsar system.