Heyl, Jeremy S.Hernquist, Lars2019-09-202002Heyl, Jeremy S., and Lars Hernquist. 2002. “Hot Spot Emission from a Freely Precessing Neutron Star.” The Astrophysical Journal 567 (1): 510–14. https://doi.org/10.1086/338547.0004-637X1538-4357http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:41381848Recent observations of 1E 161348-5055, the neutron star candidate at the center of the supernova remnant RCW 103, show that a component of its emission varies sinusoidally with a period of approximately 6 hours. We argue that this period is what one would expect for a freely precessing neutron star with a spin period of about 1 s. We produce light curves for a freely precessing neutron star with a hot spot. By a suitable choice of parameters, we obtain light curves which are constant with rotational phase when the flux from the star reaches a maximum. At other phases of the precession, the flux varies as the star rotates, but the total flux decreases by a factor of several. These models can explain the behavior observed from 1E 161348-5055 and predict that the spin period should be detectable at minimum flux from sufficiently sensitive measurements.en-USJournal Article2019-09-2010.1086/338547