Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userMagnetar-like activity from the central compact object in the SNR RCW103
78
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
The 6.67 hr periodicity and the variable X-ray flux of the central compact object (CCO) at the center of the SNR RCW 103, named 1E 161348-5055, have been always difficult to interpret within the standard scenarios of an isolated neutron star or a binary system. On 2016 June 22, the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) onboard Swift detected a magnetar-like short X-ray burst from the direction of 1E 161348-5055, also coincident with a large long-term X-ray outburst. Here we report on Chandra, NuSTAR, and Swift (BAT and XRT) observations of this peculiar source during its 2016 outburst peak. In particular, we study the properties of this magnetar-like burst, we discover a hard X-ray tail in the CCO spectrum during outburst, and we study its long-term outburst history (from 1999 to July 2016). We find the emission properties of 1E 161348-5055 consistent with it being a magnetar. However in this scenario, the 6.67 hr periodicity can only be interpreted as the rotation period of this strongly magnetized neutron star, which therefore represents the slowest pulsar ever detected, by orders of magnitude. We briefly discuss the viable slow-down scenarios, favoring a picture involving a period of fall-back accretion after the supernova explosion, similarly to what is invoked (although in a different regime) to explain the anti-magnetar scenario for other CCOs.
rate research
Read More
Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and Soft-Gamma Repeaters groups are magnetar candidates featuring low characteristic ages ($tau = {Pover{2 {dot P}}}$). At least some of them they should still be associated with the remnants of the explosive events in which they were born, giving clues to the type of events leading to their birth and the physics behind the apparent high value of the magnetar magnetic fields. To explain the high values of $B$, a self-consistent picture of field growth also suggests that energy injection into the SNR is large and unavoidable, in contrast with the evolution of {it conventional} SNR. This modified dynamics, in turn, has important implications for the proposed associations. We show that this scenario yields low ages for the new candidates CXOU J171405.7-381031/CTB 37B and XMMU J173203.3-344518/G353.6-0.7, and predicted values agree with recently found ${dot P}$, giving support to the overall picture.
To examine the previously claimed fast cooling of the Central Compact Object (CCO) in the Cas A supernova remnant (SNR), we analyzed two Chandra observations of this CCO, taken in a setup minimizing instrumental spectral distortions. We fit the two CCO X-ray spectra from 2006 and 2012 with hydrogen and carbon neutron star atmosphere models. The temperature and flux changes in the 5.5 years between the two epochs depend on the adopted constraints on the fitting parameters and the uncertainties of the effective area calibrations. If we allow a change of the equivalent emitting region size, R_Em, the effective temperature remains essentially the same. If R_Em is held constant, the best-fit temperature change is negative, but its statistical significance ranges from 0.8sigma to 2.5sigma, depending on the model. If we assume that the optical depth of the ACIS filter contaminant in 2012 was +/-10% different from its default calibration value, the significance of the temperature drop becomes 0.8sigma to 3.1sigma, for the carbon atmospheres with constant R_Em. Thus, we do not see a statistically significant temperature drop in our data, but the involved uncertainties are too large to firmly exclude the previously reported fast cooling. Our analysis indicate a decrease of 4%-6% (1.9-2.9sigma significance) for the absorbed flux in the energy range 0.6-6keV between 2006 and 2012, most prominent in the 1.4-1.8 keV energy range. It could be caused by unaccounted changes of the detector response or contributions from unresolved SNR material along the line of sight to the CCO.
Since its discovery as a pulsar in 2000, the central compact object (CCO) 1E 1207.4-5209 in the supernova remnant PKS 1209-51/52 had been a stable 0.424 s rotator with an extremely small spin-down rate and weak (Bs ~ 9E10 G) surface dipole magnetic field. In 2016 we observed a glitch from 1E 1207.4-5209 of at least Delta f/f = (2.8+/-0.4)E-9, which is typical in size for the general pulsar population. However, glitch activity is closely correlated with spin-down rate fdot, and pulsars with fdot as small as that of 1E 1207.4-5209 are never seen to glitch. Unlike in glitches of ordinary pulsars, there may have been a large increase in fdot as well. The thermal X-ray spectrum of 1E 1207.4-5209, with its unique cyclotron absorption lines that measure the surface magnetic field strength, did not show any measurable change after the glitch, which rules out a major disruption in the dipole field as a cause or result of the glitch. A leading theory of the origin and evolution of CCOs, involving prompt burial of the magnetic field by fall-back of supernova ejecta, might hold the explanation for the glitch.
We present 20 years of timing observations for 1E 1207.4-5209, the central compact object in supernova remnant PKS 1209-51/52, to follow up on our detection of an unexpected timing glitch in its spin-down. Using new XMM-Newton and NICER observations of 1E 1207.4-5209, we now find that the phase ephemeris can be well modelled by either two small glitches, or extreme timing noise. The implied magnitudes of the frequency glitches are Delta f/f = (9+-2)E-10 and Delta f/f = (3.7+/-0.7)E-10, at epochs 2010.9 and 2014.4, respectively. The updated timing solutions also rule out our previous suggestion of a large glitch in the frequency derivative fdot. No other canonical pulsar with such a small spin-down rate (fdot = -1.2E-16 Hz/s) or surface dipole magnetic field strength (B_s = 9.8E10 G) has been observed to glitch; the glitch activity parameter of 1E 1207.4-5209 is larger than that of more energetic pulsars. Alternative parameterizations that do not involve glitches can fit the data, but they have timing residuals or a second frequency derivative fddot that are orders of magnitude larger than in pulsars with similar spin-down parameters. These timing properties of 1E 1207.4-5209 further motivate the leading theory of central compact objects, that an initial B-field of normal strength was buried in the neutron star crust by fallback of supernova ejecta, suppressing the surface dipole field. The slow reemergence of the buried field may be involved in triggering glitches or excess timing noise.
The Central Compact Object (CCO) in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant is most likely a very young ($approx 300$ yr) neutron star. If a previously reported decrease of its surface temperature by 4% in 10 years could be confirmed, it would have profound theoretical implications for neutron star physics. However, the temperature decrease was inferred from Chandra ACIS data affected by instrumental effects which could cause time-dependent spectral distortions. Employing a different instrument setup which minimizes spectral distortions, our 2006 and 2012 Chandra spectra of the CCO did not show a statistically significant temperature decrease. Here, we present additional observations from 2015 taken in the same instrument mode. During the time span of 8.5 years, we detect no significant temperature decrease, using either carbon or hydrogen atmosphere models in the X-ray spectral fits. Our conservative $3sigma$ upper limits correspond to $<3.3$% and $<2.4$% temperature decrease in 10 years for carbon atmosphere model fits with varying or constant values of the absorbing hydrogen column density, respectively. The recently revised model for the ACIS filter contaminant has a strong effect on the fit results, reducing the significance of the previously reported temperature and flux changes. We expect that a further improved contaminant model and longer time coverage can significantly lower the upper limits in the future.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
