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From: elt@astrovax.UUCP (Ed Turner)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.astro.expert
Subject: Re: pulsing quasars and the like
Message-ID: <366@astrovax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Jun-84 10:27:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: astrovax.366
Posted: Mon Jun  4 10:27:41 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 6-Jun-84 00:59:06 EDT
References: <2631@ecsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Princeton Univ. Astrophysics
Lines: 14

In the example of a source consisting of a central exciter and a peripheral
emitter, the duration of the observed pulse will still be of order the light
travel time size of the object because of the delays in propogating any
signal (pulse) across the emitter.  In other words, the observer will see the
near side of the source light up at a time D/c (where D is the emitter's
diameter) before the light from the far side of the source arrives.

By properly phasing the emission from different regions on the emitting
surface, observers in some particular direction can see a pulse much
narrower than D/c but this will cause other observers to see even longer
pulses so the mean will still be of order D/c.

Ed Turner
astrovax!elt