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ABSTRACT THE Crab nebula, the remnant of the celebrated supernova of 1054 (refs 1, 2), lies 2 kpc from the Earth3,4 and is the most powerful neutron-star-driven nebulosity known. Its

emission from radio to X-ray wavelengths is predominantly synchrotron radiation, with a power-law spectrum that steepens abruptly at 1013 and 1016 Hz (ref. 4). The infrared satellite

observatory IRAS revealed significant excess emission, above the synchrotron spectrum, peaking between 60 and 100 μm in wavelength5. This was attributed to thermal radiation by dust with at

least two characteristic temperatures in the range 40–100 K (refs 5,6). We have now reanalysed the IRAS data, taking care to remove contamination by background emission, and find that the

revised infrared flux densities are in fact well explained by a single dust component at a temperature of 46 K. The required dust mass is 0.02 solar masses (_M_⊙), corresponding to a gas to

dust ratio of 100:1. We also determine more accurately the break frequency, 1.4 × 1013 Hz, in the power-law spectrum. This value implies, for a steady-state synchrotron model, a

time-averaged magnetic field of 420 μ,G, which is less than the value corresponding to an equipartition of energy between radiating particles and magnetic field, but probably greater than

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FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS CARBONACEOUS DUST GRAINS SEEN IN THE FIRST BILLION YEARS OF COSMIC TIME Article Open access 19 July 2023 OPTICAL

RECONSTRUCTION OF DUST IN THE REGION OF SUPERNOVA REMNANT RX J1713.7−3946 FROM ASTROMETRIC DATA Article 10 May 2021 WARM GAS IN THE VICINITY OF A SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE 13 BILLION YEARS AGO

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(1984). Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar  Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION Author notes * Harm Greidanus Present address: Fysisch en Elektronisch Laboratorium TNO, Postbus 96864, 2509

JG, Den Haag, The Netherlands AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy, Radiosterrenwacht, PO Box 2, 7990 AA, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands Richard G. Strom

* Sterrewacht Leiden, Postbus 9513, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands Harm Greidanus Authors * Richard G. Strom View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google

Scholar * Harm Greidanus View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS

ARTICLE Strom, R., Greidanus, H. Evidence for single-temperature dust in the Crab nebula from a reanalysis of its infrared spectrum. _Nature_ 358, 654–655 (1992).

https://doi.org/10.1038/358654a0 Download citation * Received: 04 March 1992 * Accepted: 25 June 1992 * Issue Date: 20 August 1992 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/358654a0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE

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