In Dec. 2011 PSR B0540-69 experienced a spin-down rate transition (SRT), after which the spin-down power of the pulsar increased by ~36%. About 1000 days after the SRT, the X-ray luminosity of the associated pulsar wind nebula (PWN) was found to brighten by 32+/-8%. After the SRT, the braking index n of PSR B0540-69 changes from n=2.12 to n=0.03 and then keeps this value for about five years before rising to n=0.9 in the following years. We find that most of the current models have difficulties in explaining the measured braking index. One exceptive model of the braking index evolution is the increasing dipole magnetic field of PSR B0540-69. We suggest that the field increase may result from some instabilities within the pulsar core that enhance the poloidal component at the price of toroidal component of the magnetic field. The increasing dipole magnetic field will result in the X-ray brightening of the PWN. We fit the PWN X-ray light curve by two models: one assumes a constant magnetic field within the PWN during the brightening and the other assumes an enhanced magnetic field proportional to the energy density of the PWN. It appears that the two models fit the data well, though the later model seems to fit the data a bit better. This provides marginal observational evidence that magnetic field in the PWN is generated by the termination shock. Future high-quality and high-cadence data are required to draw a solid conclusion.
On the variable timing behavior of PSR B0540-69: an almost excellent example to study pulsar braking mechanism
PSR B 0540 -69在其持续状态下具有制动指数测量值：n=2.129 \pm 0.012。最近，据报道，它的自旋下降状态发生了变化：自旋下降速率突然增加了36%。结合持续状态制动指数测量和不同的自旋下降状态，PSR B 0540 -69在约束脉冲星自旋下降模型方面比间歇性脉冲星更强大。脉冲星风模型被用来解释PSR B 0540 -69的变时行为。PSR B 0540 -69的持续状态制动指数是磁偶极子辐射和粒子风的综合效应。粒子密度实时反映了磁层的活动，并可能是导致自旋下降行为变化的原因。对应于PSR B 0540 -69的自旋下降速率增加36%，在真空间隙模型中颗粒密度的相对增加为88%。模型计算出新状态下的制动指数为n=1.79。PSR B 0540 -69在新的自旋下降状态下的未来制动指数观测将非常有力地区分不同的脉冲星自旋下降模型和不同的粒子加速模型。PSR J1846-0258的可变定时行为在脉冲星风模型中也是可以理解的。
The recently discovered rotationally powered pulsar PSR J1640-4631 is the first to have a braking index measured, with high enough precision, that is greater than three. An inclined magnetic rotator in vacuum or plasma would be subject not only to spin-down but also to an alignment torque. The vacuum model can address the braking index only for an almost orthogonal rotator that is incompatible with the single peaked pulse profile. The magnetic dipole model with the corotating plasma predicts braking indices between $3-3.25$. We find that the braking index of $3.15$ is consistent with two diffe…
On the braking index of the unusual high-B rotation-powered pulsar PSR J1846-0258
PSR J1846-0258是一个跨越磁星和旋转动力磁星之间边界的天体。虽然多年来一直表现为旋转动力的脉冲星，但在2006年，它表现出明显的类似磁铁的行为-发射几个短的硬X射线爆发，通量增加。在这里，我们报告7年后爆发时序观测PSR J1846-0258使用罗西X射线定时探测器和雨燕X射线望远镜。我们测量的制动指数超过后磁星爆发期间是$n=2.19\pm0.03$。这代表了$Δn=-0.46\pm0.03$的变化，或与爆发前制动指数$n=2.65\pm0.01$相差14.5 $\;σ$，后者本身是在6.5年的跨度内测量的。脉冲星制动指数的变化如此之大且持续时间如此之长，是前所未有的，对脉冲星自旋下降模型构成了重大挑战。
Recent timing observation constrained the braking index of the X-ray pulsar PSR J1640-4631 to be $n=3.15\pm0.03$, which is the highest value of all pulsars with measured braking indices so far. In this Letter, we investigate whether pulsar braking by combined between the magnetic dipole emission and the gravitational radiation might have a braking index greater than three. For conventional neutron star and low mass quark star candidates, the inferred ellipticities derived by the observed braking index are obviously much larger than the theoretical estimated maximum value. If PSR J1640-4631 is …
Recent timing observation provides an intriguing result for the braking index of the X-ray pulsar PSR J1640-4631, which has a measured braking index $n=3.15\pm0.03$. The decrease of the inclination angle between between the spin axis and the magnetic axis can be responsible for such a high braking index. However, the physical mechanisms causing the change of the magnetic inclination angle have not been fully understood. In this Letter, we apply a two-dipole model given by Hamil et al (2016) to explain the decrease of the magnetic inclination angle of PSR J1640-4631. The rotation effect of a ch…
In this work, we interpreted the high braking index of PSR J1640$-$4631 with a combination of the magneto-dipole radiation and dipole magnetic field decay models. By introducing a mean rotation energy conversion coefficient $\overlineζ$, the ratio of the total high-energy photon energy to the total rotation energy loss in the whole life of the pulsar, and combining the pulsar's high-energy and timing observations with reliable nuclear equation of state, we estimate the pulsar's initial spin period, $P_{0}\sim (17-44)$ ms, corresponding to the moment of inertia $I\sim (0.8-2.1)\times 10^{45}$ g…
The low braking-index pulsar PSR J1734$-$3333 could be born with superhigh internal magnetic fields $B_{\rm in}\sim10^{15}-10^{16}$ G, and undergo a supercritical accretion soon after its formation in a supernova explosion. The buried multipole magnetic fields will merger into a dipole magnetic field. Since the magnetic flow transfers from the core to the crust of the pulsar, its surface dipole field grows quickly at a power-law form assumed until it saturates at the level of internal dipole field. The increase in surface dipole magnetic field results in the observed low braking index of $n=0.…
The magnetic fields of the nascent neutron stars could be submerged in the crust by rapid fallback accretion and could diffuse to the surface later in life. According to this field burial scenario young pulsars may have growing magnetic fields, a process known to result with less-than-three braking indices; larger braking indices implying longer field-growth time-scales. A nascent neutron star with a larger kick velocity would accrete less amount of matter leading to a shallower burial of its field and a more rapid field growth. Such an inverse relation between the field growth time-scale infe…
We report on the timing properties of the `Crab twin' pulsar PSR~B0540$-$69 measured with X-ray data taken with the Swift telescope over a period of 1100\,days. The braking index of the pulsar was estimated to be $n = 0.03\pm0.013$ in a previous study performed in 2015 with 500-day Swift data. This small value of $n$ is unusual for pulsars, and a comparison to old measurements of $n\approx2.1$ for the same target determined $\sim$10 years ago suggests a dramatic change in the braking index. To confirm the small value and large change of $n$, we used 1100-day Swift observations including the da…
PSR J0537$-$6910 is the most active glitching pulsar with a glitch rate $\sim0.3$ yr $^{-1}$. We have reanalysed 45 glitches of PSR J0537$-$6910 published in the literature and have done post-glitch timing fits within the vortex creep model. Moment of inertia fractions of the superfluid regions participating in glitches are obtained for each event and the model predictions for the inter-glitch time are confronted with the observed time-scales. Similarities and differences with the glitching behaviours of the well studied Crab and Vela pulsars are highlighted. From superfluid recoupling time-sc…
Recently, a braking index for the pulsar PSR J1640-4631 has been measured. With a braking index of $n = 3.15 \pm 0.03$, this pulsar has the highest braking index ever measured. As it is well known, a pure magnetic dipole brake yields $n = 3$, whereas a pure gravitational wave brake yields $n = 5$. Therefore, each of these mechanisms alone can not account for the braking index found for PSR J1640-4631. Here we show that such a braking index can be accounted for if the spindown model combines magnetic dipole and gravitational wave brakes. Then, we briefly discuss the detectability of this pulsar…
The braking index of PSR J1734-3333 and the magnetar population
PSR J1734-3333是一颗射电脉冲星，其自转周期为P=1.17 s，减速周期导数为Pdot=2.28 x 10^{-12}，在自转脉冲星中排名第三。这些性质介于正常旋转动力中子星和磁星之间，这两种中子星的辐射性质明显不同。在这里，我们报告的PSR J1734-3333的旋转的第二周期导数的测量和计算的制动指数n=0.9 +-0.2。这个值远低于3，即恒定磁偶极子电磁制动的预期值，表明该脉冲星可能很快具有磁星的旋转特性。虽然有几种机制可能导致如此低的制动指数，我们讨论了这一观察结果，以及其他一些高Pdot旋转动力的磁星所表现出的特性，并将其解释为磁星通过无线电脉冲星阶段的可能进化路线的证据，支持这两类物体的统一描述。
Braking index of the frequently glitching PSR J0537$-$6910
School of Arts and Sciences, Qingdao Binhai University（青岛滨海学院文理学院）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Istanbul University（伊斯坦布尔大学天文学与空间科学系）；Bahçeşehir College（巴切希尔学院）；Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabancı University（萨班哲大学工程与自然科学学院）；Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester（曼彻斯特大学物理与天文学系乔德雷尔银行天体物理学中心）；Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH)（圣地亚哥智利大学物理系）
Braking index measurements offer the opportunity to explore the processes affecting the long-term spin evolution of pulsars and possible evolutionary connections between the various pulsar populations. For young pulsars the long-term trends are generally obscured by short term phenomena such as timing noise and the recoveries form large glitches. Here we present a new method to overcome the latter and report on braking index measurements for the Vela-like pulsars PSR B1800-21 and PSR B1823-13, an updated measurement for Vela and new estimates for four more glitching pulsars observed at Jodrell…
We present a phase-coherent timing solution for PSR J1640-4631, a young 206 ms pulsar using X-ray timing observations taken with NuSTAR. Over this timing campaign, we have measured the braking index of PSR J1640-4631 to be n = 3.15+/-0.03. Using a series of simulations, we argue that this unusually high braking index is not due to timing noise, but is intrinsic to the pulsar's spin-down. We cannot, however, rule out contamination due to an unseen glitch recovery, although the recovery timescale would have to be longer than most yet observed. If this braking index is eventually proven to be sta…
We report the discovery of a diffuse radio emission around PSR J0855--4644 using an upgraded GMRT (uGMRT) observation at 1.35 GHz. The radio emission is spatially coincident with the diffuse X-ray pulsar wind nebula (PWN) seen with XMM but is much larger in extent compared to the compact axisymmetric PWN seen with Chandra. The morphology of the emission, with a bright partial ring-like structure and two faint tail-like features strongly resembles a bow shock nebula, and indicates a velocity of 100 km/s through the ambient medium. We conclude that the emission is most likely to be associated wi…
We have discovered an extended X-ray feature which is apparently associated with millisecond pulsar (MSP) PSR J1911-1114 from a XMM-Newton observation, which extends for ~1' and the radio timing position of PSR J1911-1114 is in the mid point of the feature. The orientation of the feature is similar to the proper motion direction of PSR J1911-1114. Its X-ray spectrum can be well-modeled by an absorbed power-law with a photon index of $Γ=1.8^{+0.3}_{-0.2}$. If this feature is confirmed to be a pulsar wind nebula (PWN), this will be the third case that an X-ray PWN found to be powered by a MSP.
We report on X-ray studies of the gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1418$-$6058 in the Rabbit pulsar wind nebula (PWN) carried out using archival Chandra and XMM-Newton observations. A refined timing analysis performed with the 120-ks XMM-Newton data finds significant ($p\approx10^{-7}$) pulsation at $P\approx110$ ms which is consistent with that measured with the Fermi large area telescope (LAT). In the Chandra image, we find extended emission around the pulsar similar to those seen around other pulsars in young PWNe, which further argues for association between PSR J1418$-$6058 and the Rabbit PWN. The X…
We present the results of the analysis of 8 years of Fermi-LAT data of the pulsar/pulsar wind nebula complex PSR J0205+6449/3C 58. Using a contemporaneous ephemeris, we carried out a detailed analysis of PSR J0205+6449 both during its off-peak and on-peak phase intervals. 3C 58 is significantly detected during the off-peak phase interval. We show that the spectral energy distribution at high energies is the same disregarding the phases considered, and thus that this part of the spectrum is most likely dominated by the nebula radiation. We present results of theoretical models of the nebula and…
The Cygnus\,OB2 region, $\sim 3.5-5~\text{Myr}$ old, contains one of the most significant populations of massive stars of the Milky Way. Such stars substantially contribute to producing large scale soft ($<2~\text{keV}$) diffuse X-ray emission. We also detected hard ($>3~\text{keV}$) diffuse X-ray emission in the direction of the pulsar PSR\,J2032+4127. The torus-shaped emission spans a $\approx 3'\times 2'$ jet-like structure. It is spatially coincident with the Fermi $γ$-ray source 4FGL\,J2032.3+4127. We suggest that the hard diffuse X-ray emission is the pulsar wind nebula bearing the pulsa…
The departure of all measured pulsar braking indexes from the "canonical" dipole value 3 has been attributed to several causes in the past. Careful monitoring of the Crab pulsar has revealed permanent changes in the spin-down rate which are most likely the accumulation of small jumps in the angle $α$ between the magnetic and spin axis. Recently, a large permanent change in the braking index of the in the "Crab twin" pulsar B0540-69 has been reported, and an analogous phenomenon seen in the high-field pulsar PSR 1846-0258 has been seen following a glitch, while another similar event (in PSR J11…
In this work, we study the X-ray bow-shock nebula powered by the mature pulsar PSR B1929+10 using data from XMM-Newton, with an effective exposure of $\sim$ 300 ks, offering the deepest investigation of this system thus far. We found the X-ray axial outflow extends as long as $\sim$ 8 arc minute behind the proper motion direction, which is a factor of two longer than the result reported in the previous study. Furthermore, we found evidence of two faint lateral outflows extending laterally with respect to the proper motion. We also found indications of spectral hardening along the axial outflow…
Recently, the magnetar Swift J1834.9$-$0846 is reported to have a possible wind nebula. It is shown that both the magnetar and its wind nebula are understandable in the wind braking scenario. The magnetar's rotational energy loss rate is not enough to power the particle luminosity. The required particle luminosity should be about $10^{36} \,\rm erg \,s^{-1}$ to $10^{38} \,\rm erg \,s^{-1}$. It is obtained in three different approaches: considering wind braking of Swift J1834.9$-$0846; the spectral and spatial observations of the wind nebula; and an empirical upper bound on wind nebula X-ray lu…
We analyzed two Chandra observations of PSR J2055+2539 (for a total integration time of $\sim$130 ks) in order to measure its proper motion and study its two elongated nebular features. We did not detect the proper motion, setting an upper limit of 240 mas yr$^{-1}$ (3$σ$ level), that translates into an upper limit on the transverse velocity of $\sim$700 km s$^{-1}$, for an assumed distance of 600 pc. A deep H$α$ observation did not reveal the bow-shock associated with a classical pulsar wind nebula, thus precluding an indirect measurement of the proper motion direction. We determined the main…
Aims: PSR J0855-4644 is a fast-spinning, energetic pulsar discovered at radio wavelengths near the south-eastern rim of the supernova remnant RX J0852.0-4622. A follow-up observation revealed the pulsar's X-ray counterpart and a slightly asymmetric PWN suggesting possible jet structures. PSR J0855-4644 is a pulsar with one of the highest \dot{E}/d^{2} from which no GeV γ-ray pulsations have been detected. Methods: With a dedicated Chandra observation, we perform detailed spatial modelling to constrain the geometry of the PWN, in particular the pulsar's line of sight ζ_{\rm PSR}. We also perfor…
We present timing solutions of PSR B0950+08, using 14 years of observations at Nanshan 26-m Radio Telescope of Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory. The braking index of PSR B0950+08 varies from --367 392 to 168 883, which shows an oscillation with large amplitude ($\sim 10^5$) and uncertainty. Considering the variation of braking indices and the most probable kinematic age of PSR B0950+08, a model withe long-term magnetic field decay modulated by short-term oscillations is proposed to explain the timing data. With this magnetic field decay model, we discuss the spin and thermal evolution of PSR …
We analyzed a deep {\it XMM-Newton} observation of the radio-quiet $γ$-ray PSR J2055+2539. The spectrum of the X-ray counterpart is non-thermal, with a photon index of $Γ$=2.36$\pm$0.14 (1$σ$ confidence). We detected X-ray pulsations with a pulsed fraction of (25$\pm$3)\% and a sinusoidal shape. Taking into account considerations on the $γ$-ray efficiency of the pulsar and on its X-ray spectrum, we can infer a pulsar distance ranging from 450 pc to 750 pc. We found two different nebular features associated to PSR J2055+2539 and protruding from it. The angle between the two nebular main axes is…
PSR J1809-1917 is a young ($τ=51$ kyr) energetic ($\dot{E}=1.8\times10^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$) radio pulsar powering a pulsar wind nebula (PWN). We report on the results of three Chandra X-ray Observatory observations which show that the PWN consists of a small ($\sim 20''$) bright compact nebula (CN) and faint extended emission seen up to $2'$ from the pulsar. The CN is elongated in the northeast-southwest direction and exhibits morphological and flux variability on a timescale of a few months. We also find evidence of small arcsecond-scale jets extending from the pulsar along the same direction,…
We present the results of XMM-Newton observations toward the pulsar PSR J1826$-$1256, which lies at 5$^{\prime}$.4 from the centroid of the TeV source HESS J1826$-$130. These data show an elongated nebula with the pulsar located in the northern border with the emission in the direction of the peak of the very high energy source. The spectral study of the X-ray emission shows a clear softening of the photon index with increasing distance from the pulsar. We discuss the connection among the pulsar, its nebula, and the HESS source.
We report the results of a 16-month monitoring campaign using the Swift satellite of PSR B0540-69, a young pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Phase connection was maintained throughout the campaign so that a reliable ephemeris could be determined, and the length of the campaign is adequate to accurately determine the spin frequency and its first and second derivatives. The braking index is 0.031 +/- 0.013 (90% confidence), a value much lower than previously reported for B0540-69 and almost all other young pulsars. We use data from the extensive monitoring campaign with RXTE to show that tim…
Based on a theoretical selection of pulsars as candidates for detection at X-ray energies, we present an analysis of archival X-ray observations done with Chandra and XMM-Newton of PSR J1747-2958 (the pulsar in the "Mouse" nebula), PSR J2021+3651 (the pulsar in the "Dragonfly" nebula), and PSR J1826-1256. X-ray pulsations from PSR J1747-2958 and PSR J1826-1256 are detected for the first time, and a previously reported hint of an X-ray pulsation from PSR J2021+3651 is confirmed with a higher significance. We analyze these pulsars' spectra in regards to the theoretically predicted energy distrib…
We present a Chandra Director's Discretionary Time observation of PSR J1119-6127 and its compact X-ray pulsar wind nebula (PWN) obtained on 27 October 2016, three months after the Fermi and Swift detection of millisecond bursts in hard X-rays, accompanied by >160 times increase in flux. This magnetar-like activity, the first observed from a rotation-powered radio pulsar, provides an important probe of the physical processes that differentiate radio pulsars from magnetars. The post-burst X-ray spectrum of the pulsar can be described by a single powerlaw model with a photon index of 2.0\pm0.2 an…
We carried out deep optical observations of the middle-aged $γ$-ray pulsar PSR J1741-2054 with the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We identified two objects, of magnitudes $m_v=23.10\pm0.05$ and $m_v=25.32\pm0.08$, at positions consistent with the very accurate Chandra coordinates of the pulsar, the faintest of which is more likely to be its counterpart. From the VLT images we also detected the known bow-shock nebula around PSR J1741-2054. The nebula is displaced by $\sim 0\farcs9$ (at the $3σ$ confidence level) with respect to its position measured in archival data, showing that the shock propaga…
PSR B1706$-$44 is an energetic gamma-ray pulsar located inside supernova remnant (SNR) G343.1$-$2.3 and it powers a compact pulsar wind nebula (PWN) that shows torus and jet structure in X-rays. We present a radio study of the PWN using Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) observations at 3, 6, 13, and 21\,cm. We found an overall arc-like morphology at 3 and 6\,cm, and the ``arc" shows two distinct peaks at 6\,cm. The radio emission is faint inside the X-ray PWN and only brightens beyond that. We develop a thick torus model with Doppler boosting effect to explain the radio PWN structure. T…
The near-infrared detection of PSR B0540-69 and its nebula
LMC中的PSR B 0540 -69被认为是蟹状星云脉冲星的孪生子，因为它具有相似的自旋参数、磁场和能量。它的光谱符合幂律，归因于同步辐射，就像年轻的蟹状星云和船帆座星云一样。近红外观测从未对PSR B 0540 -69进行过，对于确定光学幂律谱是否延伸到更长的波长或发生新的断裂至关重要，就像mIR中的蟹状星云和船帆座星云一样，暗示脉冲星磁层中的粒子能量和密度分布更加复杂。我们观察PSR B 0540 -69在J，H和Ks波段的VLT检测，第一次，在nIR和光谱的光学到nIR光谱。为了将脉冲星的辐射从脉冲星风星云中分离出来，我们利用NACO获得了高空间分辨率的自适应光学图像。我们可以在J、H和KS波段的图像中清楚地识别PSR B 0540 -69，并测量其通量（J=20.14，H=19.33，Ks=18.55，每个波段的总误差为+/- 0.1量级）。与可用的光学和近红外光度法的联合拟合与幂律光谱给出光谱指数α =0.70 +/-0.04。我们的NACO图像和HST光学图像之间的比较没有显示任何明显的差异，PWN形态作为波长的函数。PWN的光谱也符合单一的幂律，光谱指数α =0.56+/- 0.03，比脉冲星的略平坦。在VLT上使用NACO，我们在nIR中首次检测到PSR B 0540 -69及其PWN。由于PWN的角尺度很小（~4英寸），只有JWST的空间分辨率才能将脉冲星和PW…
We report on Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) observations of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) associated with PSR B0355+54 (eight observations with a 395 ks total exposure, performed over an 8 month period). We investigated the spatial and spectral properties of the emission coincident with the pulsar, compact nebula (CN), and extended tail. We find that the CN morphology can be interpreted in a way that suggests a small angle between the pulsar spin axis and our line-of-sight, as inferred from the radio data. On larger scales, emission from the 7' (2 pc) tail is clearly seen. We also found hints …
Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe) represent the most numerous population of TeV sources in our Galaxy. These sources, some of which emit very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays, are believed to be related to the young and energetic pulsars that power highly magnetized nebulae (a few $μ$G to a few hundred $μ$G). In this scenario, particles are accelerated to VHE along their expansion into the pulsar surroundings, or at the shocks produced in collisions of the winds with the surrounding medium. Those energetic pulsars can be traced using observations with the Fermi-LAT detector. The MAGIC Collaboration has c…
Flux Evolution of PSR B0540--69 and the Spectral Energy Distribution of its Pulsar Wind Nebula
Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院高能物理研究所）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；Central China Normal University（华中师范大学）；Nanjing Normal University（南京师范大学）；TIANFU Cosmic Ray Research Center（天府宇宙线研究中心）
We report on broadband X-ray properties of the Rabbit pulsar wind nebula (PWN) associated with the pulsar PSR J1418-6058 using archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data, and a new NuSTAR observation. NuSTAR data above 10 keV allowed us to detect the 110-ms spin period of the pulsar, characterize its hard X-ray pulse profile, and resolve hard X-ray emission from the PWN after removing contamination from the pulsar and other overlapping point sources. The extended PWN was detected up to $\sim$20 keV and is well described by a power-law model with a photon index $Γ\approx$2. The PWN shape does not var…
It is believed that an isolated pulsar loses its rotational energy mainly through a relativistic wind consisting of electrons, positrons and possibly Poynting flux\cite{Pacini1973,Rees1974,Kennel1984}. As it expands, this wind may eventually be terminated by a shock, where particles can be accelerated to energies of X-ray synchrotron emission, and a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) is usually detectable surrounding a young energetic pulsar\cite{Pacini1973,Rees1974,Kennel1984}. However, the nature and/or energetics of these physical processes remain very uncertain, largely because they typically cannot…
