Pulsars are rotating neutron stars, the remnants of supernova explosions. Rotation, combined with the presence of a strong dipole magnetic field, accelerates to relativistic velocities charged particles that radiate a focused beam of electromagnetic radiation. The pulsed emission is observed when the beam crosses the line of sight towards the observer; because this happens once per rotation of the star, these objects were given the name of "pulsar".

The detection at 83 GHz of pulsed emission from the object PSR B0355+54, discovered at lower frequencies, came as a surprise due to the weakness of the signals at these wavelengths. This first detection gives some clues to the pulsing behavior still persisting at this high frequency.