X-ray Pulsar PSR Research Articles

Evidence for a Pulsar Jet Producing a Hot Nebula in the Supernova Remnant MSH 15—52

We have discovered direct evidence for a pulsar jet from the young X-ray and radio pulsar PSR 1509–58 in the supernova remnant MSH 15–52 with the X-ray astronomy satellite ASCA. With its high-energy resolution combined with its imaging capability over a wide energy band, ASCA has studied the two morphologically and spectroscopically different components in this supernova remnant: a non-thermal nebula powered by the pulsar with a jet-like structure, and a hot thermal plasma cloud located at the end of the “jet”. We propose that the jet is a stream of relativistic electrons generated by the pulsar, and that the thermal nebula is created by the collision of the jet with interstellar matter. This scenario can explain the peculiar X-ray morphology and the energy budget of MSH 15–52 consistently.

The pulsed hard X-ray spectrum of PSR B1509-58

Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE) observed the 150 ms X-ray pulsar PSR B1509-58 m the supernova remnant MSH 15-52 for 4 weeks in 1992. The pulsed spectrum from 50 keV to 5 MeV is well represented by a single-power-law photon spectrum of the form (3.14 +/- 0.16) x 10(exp -6) x (E/118.5 keV)(exp -1.68 +/- -0.09) photons cm(exp -2)s(exp -1)keV(exp -1). This is significantly harder than the Crab pulsar spectrum in this energy range. The Ginga soft X-ray spectrum (2-60 keV) reported by Kawai et al. is significantly harder than the observed OSSE spectrum and predicts a flux 2 times higher than we observe in the approximately 55-170 keV energy band. This requires a break to a steeper spectrum somewhere in the intermediate energy range (approximately 20-80 keV). The spectrum must soften again at higher energies or the pulsar would have easily been detected by EGRET, COS B, and SAS 2.

The position of PSR 0540-69

view Abstract Citations (17) References (9) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS The Position of PSR 0540-69 Shearer, A. ; Redfern, M. ; Pedersen, H. ; Rowold, T. ; O'Kane, P. ; Butler, R. ; O'Byrne, C. ; Cullum, M. Abstract Using time-resolved two-dimensional photon counting techniques we have found an accurate position for the X-ray and optical pulsar PSR 0540-69. Our position using postexposure variable aperture photometry confirms the position suggested by Caraveo et al. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: March 1994 DOI: 10.1086/187233 Bibcode: 1994ApJ...423L..51S Keywords: Nebulae; Optical Measurement; Pulsars; Radiation Detectors; Two Dimensional Models; X Ray Astronomy; Apertures; Cameras; Counting; Photons; Telephotometry; Telescopes; Time Dependence; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)

A faint polarized arc near the supernova remnant MSH 15-52 (G 320.4 - 1.2)

The Galactic radio source MSH 15-52 (G 320.4 − 1.2) is a 30-arcmin non-thermal complex associated with the optical nebula RCW 89 and believed to be the remnant of a supernova; it contains the X-ray and radio pulsar PSR 1509 − 58, and it is assumed that an association with the SNR exists. In this paper we present a radio polarization study of this region which shows the presence of a polarized ring or shell, ∼ 40 arcmin in diameter, either extending from G 320.4 − 1.2 or coincident with part of it. The distributions of Faraday rotation and depolarization are also presented for this region. While G 320.4 − 1.2 clearly has a radial projected magnetic field, the field in the large ring is tangential, which suggests that it may be a blow-out from G 320.4 − 1.4

Optical pulsations in the Large Magellanic Cloud remnant 0540–69.3

We have detected pulsed optical emission from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) X-ray pulsar PSR 0540-693 (Seward et al. 1984). The pulsed emission has a time averaged magnitude of approximately 22.7. The X-ray pulsar was discovered in the LMC remnant, 0540-69.3 as a pulse repetition period of approx. 50 milliseconds (ms) in Einstein Obsrvatory data (Seward et al. 1984). Earlier, Clark et al. (1982) had noted that this remnant resembles the Crab Nebula because of the X-ray power law spectrum, and suggested that the nebular emission was synchrotron radiation powered by a central pulsar. After the announcement of X-ray pulsed emission, Chanan et al. (1984) measured the broad optical band properties of the nebula and found evidence for synchrotron emission. They reported that the 4.5 arc second continuum emission remnant has only a tenth the luminosity of the Crab Nebula. We have recorded broad-band optical time-series data at 1 ms intervals with the 4-m and 1.5-m Cerro Tololo telescopes and have found strong pulsations, employing the usual Fourier transform methods. A summary of the observations, including magnitudes, barycentric frequencies and times of arrival is given.