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Article: Pulsar wind nebulae and the nonthermal X-ray emission of millisecond pulsars

TitlePulsar wind nebulae and the nonthermal X-ray emission of millisecond pulsars
Authors
KeywordsBinaries: Close
Pulsars: General
Radiation Mechanisms: Nonthermal
Radiation Mechanisms: Thermal
Stars: Neutron
X-Rays: Stars
Issue Date2006
PublisherInstitute of Physics Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://iopscience.iop.org/2041-8205
Citation
Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2006, v. 641 n. 1 I, p. 427-437 How to Cite?
AbstractThe nonthermal, nonpulsed X-ray emission of MSPs is investigated. As in young pulsars, MSPs emit a relativistic wind, which in interacting with the ISM and/or a binary companion can significantly contribute to the nonpulsed emission of these pulsars. An application and extension of a simple model developed for young pulsars is applied to the old recycled MSP B1957+20. It is found that the pulsar wind can indeed contribute to both the resolved and unresolved X-ray emission. For other MSPs in the Galactic field for which the spectral index of the nonpulsed component has been measured (i.e., PSR B1937+21, PSR J0218+4232) the contribution of the pulsar wind to the nonpulsed X-ray luminosity is estimated. For the MSPs in the core regions of globular clusters, the pulsar wind nebula is likely affected by its interaction with the dense stellar environment, possibly leading to a diminished contribution to the total X-ray emission. In this case, the existence of nonthermal nonpulsed X-ray emission is more likely for binary than for isolated MSPs, with the emission arising from the interaction of the relativistic pulsar wind and a binary companion. Our study suggests that the magnetization parameter in the pulsar wind nebulae of MSPs is significantly larger than that of the Crab Nebula, by about a factor of 10. The nebulae powered by rapidly rotating neutron stars either in isolation or in the quiescent state of soft X-ray transients can contribute to the faint X-ray source population associated with nonaccreting neutron stars. The emission from MSPs moving at high velocities (≳100 km s -1) through regions of the ISM characterized by magnetic field strengths ≲0.1 mG may appear spatially extended with a tail-like morphology. Thus, MSPs may also contribute to the faint filamentary X-ray source subpopulation in the Galaxy. © 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/175021
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 8.8
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 2.766
ISI Accession Number ID
References

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorCheng, KSen_US
dc.contributor.authorTaam, REen_US
dc.contributor.authorWang, Wen_US
dc.date.accessioned2012-11-26T08:48:48Z-
dc.date.available2012-11-26T08:48:48Z-
dc.date.issued2006en_US
dc.identifier.citationAstrophysical Journal Letters, 2006, v. 641 n. 1 I, p. 427-437en_US
dc.identifier.issn2041-8205en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/175021-
dc.description.abstractThe nonthermal, nonpulsed X-ray emission of MSPs is investigated. As in young pulsars, MSPs emit a relativistic wind, which in interacting with the ISM and/or a binary companion can significantly contribute to the nonpulsed emission of these pulsars. An application and extension of a simple model developed for young pulsars is applied to the old recycled MSP B1957+20. It is found that the pulsar wind can indeed contribute to both the resolved and unresolved X-ray emission. For other MSPs in the Galactic field for which the spectral index of the nonpulsed component has been measured (i.e., PSR B1937+21, PSR J0218+4232) the contribution of the pulsar wind to the nonpulsed X-ray luminosity is estimated. For the MSPs in the core regions of globular clusters, the pulsar wind nebula is likely affected by its interaction with the dense stellar environment, possibly leading to a diminished contribution to the total X-ray emission. In this case, the existence of nonthermal nonpulsed X-ray emission is more likely for binary than for isolated MSPs, with the emission arising from the interaction of the relativistic pulsar wind and a binary companion. Our study suggests that the magnetization parameter in the pulsar wind nebulae of MSPs is significantly larger than that of the Crab Nebula, by about a factor of 10. The nebulae powered by rapidly rotating neutron stars either in isolation or in the quiescent state of soft X-ray transients can contribute to the faint X-ray source population associated with nonaccreting neutron stars. The emission from MSPs moving at high velocities (≳100 km s -1) through regions of the ISM characterized by magnetic field strengths ≲0.1 mG may appear spatially extended with a tail-like morphology. Thus, MSPs may also contribute to the faint filamentary X-ray source subpopulation in the Galaxy. © 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.en_US
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherInstitute of Physics Publishing Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://iopscience.iop.org/2041-8205en_US
dc.relation.ispartofAstrophysical Journal Lettersen_US
dc.subjectBinaries: Closeen_US
dc.subjectPulsars: Generalen_US
dc.subjectRadiation Mechanisms: Nonthermalen_US
dc.subjectRadiation Mechanisms: Thermalen_US
dc.subjectStars: Neutronen_US
dc.subjectX-Rays: Starsen_US
dc.titlePulsar wind nebulae and the nonthermal X-ray emission of millisecond pulsarsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.emailCheng, KS: hrspksc@hkucc.hku.hken_US
dc.identifier.authorityCheng, KS=rp00675en_US
dc.description.naturelink_to_subscribed_fulltexten_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1086/500345en_US
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-33745307124en_US
dc.relation.referenceshttp://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-33745307124&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpageen_US
dc.identifier.volume641en_US
dc.identifier.issue1 Ien_US
dc.identifier.spage427en_US
dc.identifier.epage437en_US
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000236817800035-
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdomen_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridCheng, KS=9745798500en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridTaam, RE=7003756329en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridWang, W=21234341100en_US
dc.identifier.issnl2041-8205-

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