SIMBAD references

2005ApJ...627..390G - Astrophys. J., 627, 390-396 (2005/July-1)

Discovery of a 105 ms X-ray pulsar in Kesteven 79: on the nature of compact central objects in supernova remnants.

GOTTHELF E.V., HALPERN J.P. and SEWARD F.D.

Abstract (from CDS):

We report the discovery of 105 ms X-ray pulsations from the compact central object (CCO) in the supernova remnant Kes 79 using data acquired with the Newton X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton). Two observations of the pulsar taken 6 days apart yield an upper limit on its spin-down rate of P{dot}<7x10–14 s/s and no evidence for binary orbital motion. The implied energy loss rate is E{dot}<2x1036 ergs/s, the surface magnetic field strength is Bp<3x1012 G, and the spin-down age is τ>24 kyr. The latter exceeds the remnant's estimated age, suggesting that the pulsar was born spinning near its current period. The X-ray spectrum of PSR J1852+0040 is best characterized by a blackbody model of temperature kTBB=0.44±0.03 keV, radius RBB~0.9 km, and Lbol=3.7x1033 ergs/s at d=7.1 kpc. The sinusoidal light curve is modulated with a pulsed fraction of >45%, suggestive of a small hot spot on the surface of the rotating neutron star. The lack of a discernible pulsar wind nebula is consistent with an interpretation of PSR J1852+0040 as a rotation-powered pulsar whose spin-down luminosity falls below the empirical threshold for generating bright wind nebulae, E{dot}c~4x1036 ergs/s. The age discrepancy implies that its E{dot} has always been below E{dot}c, perhaps a distinguishing property of the CCOs. Alternatively, the X-ray spectrum of PSR J1852+0040 suggests a low-luminosity anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP), but the weak inferred Bpfield is incompatible with a magnetar theory of its X-ray luminosity. We cannot exclude accretion from a fallback disk. The ordinary spin parameters discovered from PSR J1852+0040 highlight the difficulty that existing theories of isolated neutron stars have in explaining the high luminosities and temperatures of CCO thermal X-ray spectra.

Abstract Copyright:

Journal keyword(s): ISM: Individual: Name: Kesteven 79 - Stars: Pulsars: Individual: Alphanumeric: CXOU J185238.6+004020 - Stars: Pulsars: Individual: Alphanumeric: PSR J1852+0040 - Stars: Neutron - ISM: Supernova Remnants

Simbad objects: 14

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