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Register a new userX-ray emission from the planet pulsar B1257+12
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We report the detection of the millisecond pulsar B1257+12 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In a 20 ks exposure we detected 25 photons from the pulsar, with energies between 0.4 and 2.0 keV, corresponding to the flux F_X=(4.4+/- 0.9)*10^{-15} ergs s^{-1} cm^{-2} in this energy range. The X-ray spectrum can be described by a power-law model with photon index Gamma = 2.8 and luminosity L_X approx 2.5*10^{29} ergs s^{-1} in the 0.3--8 keV band, for a plausible distance of 500 pc and hydrogen column density N_H=3*10^{20} cm^{-2}. Alternatively, the spectrum can be fitted by a blackbody model with kT ~ 0.22 keV and projected emitting area ~2000 m^2. If the thermal X-rays are emitted from two symmetric polar caps, the bolometric luminosity of the two caps is 2 L_bol ~ 3*10^{29} ergs s^{-1}. We compared our results with the data on other 30 millisecond pulsars observed in X-rays and found that the apparent X-ray efficiency of PSR B1257+12, L_X/Edot ~ 3*10^{-5} for d=500 pc, is lower than those of most of millisecond pulsars. This might be explained by an unfavorable orientation of the X-ray pulsar beam if the radiation is magnetospheric, or by strong asymmetry of polar caps if the radiation is thermal (e.g., one of the polar caps is much brighter than the other and remains invisible for most part of the pulsar period). Alternatively, it could be attributed to absorption of X-rays in circumpulsar matter, such as a flaring debris disk left over after formation of the planetary system around the pulsar.
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The double pulsar system J0737-3039 is not only a test bed for General Relativity and theories of gravity, but also provides a unique laboratory for probing the relativistic winds of neutron stars. Recent X-ray observations have revealed a point source at the position of the J0737-3039 system, but have failed to detect pulsations or orbital modulation. Here we report on Chandra X-ray Observatory High Resolution Camera observations of the double pulsar. We detect deeply modulated, double-peaked X-ray pulses at the period of PSR J0737-3039A, similar in appearance to the observed radio pulses. The pulsed fraction is ~70%. Purely non-thermal emission from pulsar A plausibly accounts for our observations. However, the X-ray pulse morphology of A, in combination with previously reported spectral properties of the X-ray emission, allows the existence of both non-thermal magnetospheric emission and a broad sinusoidal thermal emission component from the neutron star surface. No pulsations are detected from pulsar B, and there is no evidence for orbital modulation or extended nebular structure. The absence of orbital modulation is consistent with theoretical expectations of a Poynting-dominated relativistic wind at the termination shock between the magnetosphere of B and the wind from A, and with the small fraction of the energy outflow from A intercepted by the termination shock.
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are extragalactic X-ray emitters located off-center of their host galaxy and with a luminosity in excess of a few ${10^{39}text{ erg s}^{-1}}$, if emitted isotropically. The discovery of periodic modulation revealed that in some ULXs the accreting compact object is a neutron star, indicating luminosities substantially above their Eddington limit. The most extreme object in this respect is ${NGC 5907~ULX-1}$ (ULX1), with a peak luminosity that is 500 times its Eddington limit. During a Chandra observation to probe a low state of ULX1, we detected diffuse X-ray emission at the position of ULX1. Its diameter is $2.7 pm 1.0$ arcsec and contains 25 photons, none below 0.8 keV. We interpret this extended structure as an expanding nebula powered by the wind of ULX1. Its diameter of about ${200text{ pc}}$, characteristic energy of ${sim 1.9text{ keV}}$, and luminosity of ${sim 2times10^{38}text{ erg s}^{-1}}$ imply a mechanical power of ${1.3times10^{41}text{ erg s}^{-1}}$ and an age ${sim 7 times 10^{4}text{ yr}}$. This interpretation suggests that a genuinely super-Eddington regime can be sustained for time scales much longer than the spin-up time of the neutron star powering the system. As the mechanical power from a single ULX nebula can rival the injection rate of cosmic rays of an entire galaxy, ULX nebulae could be important cosmic ray accelerators.
We present results obtained from X-ray observations of the anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) 4U 0142+61 taken between 2000-2007 using XMM-Newton, Chandra and Swift. In observations taken before 2006, the pulse profile is observed to become more sinusoidal and the pulsed fraction increased with time. These results confirm those derived using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and expand the observed evolution to energies below 2 keV. The XMM-Newton total flux in the 0.5-10 keV band is observed to be nearly constant in observations taken before 2006, while an increase of ~10% is seen afterwards and coincides with the burst activity detected from the source in 2006-2007. After these bursts, the evolution towards more sinusoidal pulse profiles ceased while the pulsed fraction showed a further increase. No evidence for large-scale, long-term changes in the emission as a result of the bursts is seen. The data also suggest a correlation between the flux and hardness of the spectrum, with brighter observations on average having a harder spectrum. As pointed out by other authors, we find that the standard blackbody plus power-law model does not provide the best spectral fit to the emission from 4U 0142+61. We also report on observations taken with the Gemini telescope after two bursts. These observations show source magnitudes consistent with previous measurements. Our results demonstrate the wide range of X-ray variability characteristics seen in AXPs and we discuss them in light of current emission models for these sources.
Gamma-ray loud X-ray binaries are binary systems that show non-thermal broadband emission from radio to gamma rays. If the system comprises a massive star and a young non-accreting pulsar, their winds will collide producing broadband non-thermal emission, most likely originated in the shocked pulsar wind. Thermal X-ray emission is expected from the shocked stellar wind, but until now it has neither been detected nor studied in the context of gamma-ray binaries. We present a semi-analytic model of the thermal X-ray emission from the shocked stellar wind in pulsar gamma-ray binaries, and find that the thermal X-ray emission increases monotonically with the pulsar spin-down luminosity, reaching luminosities of the order of 10^33 erg/s. The lack of thermal features in the X-ray spectrum of gamma-ray binaries can then be used to constrain the properties of the pulsar and stellar winds. By fitting the observed X-ray spectra of gamma-ray binaries with a source model composed of an absorbed non-thermal power law and the computed thermal X-ray emission, we are able to derive upper limits on the spin-down luminosity of the putative pulsar. We applied this method to LS 5039, the only gamma-ray binary with a radial, powerful wind, and obtain an upper limit on the pulsar spin-down luminosity of ~6x10^36 erg/s. Given the energetic constraints from its high-energy gamma-ray emission, a non-thermal to spin-down luminosity ratio very close to unity may be required.
PSR J0108-1431 is a nearby, 170 Myr old, very faint radio pulsar near the pulsar death line in the P-Pdot diagram. We observed the pulsar field with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and detected a point source (53 counts in a 30 ks exposure, energy flux (9+/-2)times 10^{-15} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1} in the 0.3-8 keV band) close to the radio pulsar position. Based on the large X-ray/optical flux ratio at the X-ray source position, we conclude that the source is the X-ray counterpart of PSR J0108-1431.The pulsar spectrum can be described by a power-law model with photon index Gamma approx 2.2 and luminosity L_{0.3-8 keV} sim 2times 10^{28} d_{130}^2 ergs s^{-1}, or by a blackbody model with the temperature kTapprox 0.28 keV and bolometric luminosity L_{bol} sim 1.3times 10^{28} d_{130}^2 ergs s^{-1}, for a plausible hydrogen column density NH = 7.3times 10^{19} cm^{-2} (d_{130}=d/130 pc). The pulsar converts sim 0.4% of its spin-down power into the X-ray luminosity, i.e., its X-ray efficiency is higher than for most younger pulsars. From the comparison of the X-ray position with the previously measured radio positions, we estimated the pulsar proper motion of 0.2 arcsec yr^{-1} (V_perp sim 130 d_{130} km s^{-1}), in the south-southeast direction.
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