Origin of the 5 March 1979 gamma-ray transient - A vibrating neutron star

An unusual gamma-ray transient was observed on 5 March 1979, with 12 different instruments on 9 different spacecraft. The source position of the 5 March transient, determined to an accuracy of 1 x 2 arcmin, is consistent with the direction of the supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Subsequent analysis of the data, by narrowing the source error box to an area of about 6 by 30 arcsec inside the supernova remnant, considerably strengthens this identification. It is proposed that a vibrating neutron star in the LMC is the source of the 5 March transient. This may be both the first detection of a vibrating neutron star and indirect evidence for gravitation radiation.