What kind of neutron star did SN 1987A leave? · revision history

Revision 2

Accepted · core change · record

Changes against revision 1:

Title
What kind of neutron star did SN 1987A leave?
Plain
The 1987 supernova in a neighbouring galaxy produced a neutrino burst showing that a neutron star formed, and in 2024 JWST saw gas lit up by it, but the star itself is unseen.
Precise · changed · core
Revision 1: Determine whether the compact object in SN 1987A is a cooling neutron star or powers a pulsar wind nebula, and constrain its spin and magnetic field, from the JWST-detected narrow argon lines near the center, the disputed 2021-2022 hard X-ray detections attributed to a pulsar wind nebula, and ALMA dust constraints. Answer: an identification with a luminosity budget of $\sim 1e35\ \text{to}\ 1e36\,\mathrm{erg/s}$ consistent with all bands.
Revision 2: Determine whether the compact object in SN 1987A is a cooling neutron star or powers a pulsar wind nebula, and constrain its spin and magnetic field, from the JWST-detected narrow argon lines near the center, the disputed 2021-2022 hard X-ray detections attributed to a pulsar wind nebula, and ALMA dust constraints. Answer: an identification with a luminosity budget of $\sim 10^{35}\ \text{to}\ 10^{36}\,\mathrm{erg/s}$ consistent with all bands.
Settled by
Detection of thermal X-rays or pulsations from the center, or spatially resolved line diagnostics that discriminate a nebula from a bare cooling star.
Kind
well-posed
Answer type
identification
References
(empty)
Literature status
partially-resolved
Status note
2024: JWST spectra showed argon lines ionized by a central source, consistent with a neutron star but not yet distinguishing thermal emission from a pulsar wind nebula.
Posed since
1987

Decisions