The distance indicators in gamma-ray pulsars

Abstract

AbstractDistance measurements of gamma-ray pulsars are challenging questions in present pulsar studies. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi gamma-ray observatory discovered more than 100 gamma-ray pulsars, including 34 new gamma-selected pulsars which nearly have no distance information. We study the relation between gamma-ray emission efficiency (η=Lγ/Ė) and pulsar parameters, for young radio-selected gamma-ray pulsars with known distance information. We have introduced three generation order parameters to describe gamma-ray emission properties of pulsars, and find a strong correlation between η and ζ3, the generation order parameter which reflects γ-ray photon generations in pair cascade processes induced by magnetic field absorption in pulsar magnetosphere. A good correlation between η and BLC, the magnetic field at the light cylinder radius, is also found. These correlations can serve as distance indicators in gamma-ray pulsars, to evaluate distances for gamma-selected pulsars. Distances of 35 gamma-selected pulsars are estimated, which could be tested by other distance measurement methods. The physical origin of the correlations may be also interesting for pulsar studies.