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Register a new userHitomi X-ray Observation of the Pulsar Wind Nebula G21.5$-$0.9
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We present results from the Hitomi X-ray observation of a young composite-type supernova remnant (SNR) G21.5$-$0.9, whose emission is dominated by the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) contribution. The X-ray spectra in the 0.8-80 keV range obtained with the Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS), Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) and Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) show a significant break in the continuum as previously found with the NuSTAR observation. After taking into account all known emissions from the SNR other than the PWN itself, we find that the Hitomi spectra can be fitted with a broken power law with photon indices of $Gamma_1=1.74pm0.02$ and $Gamma_2=2.14pm0.01$ below and above the break at $7.1pm0.3$ keV, which is significantly lower than the NuSTAR result ($sim9.0$ keV). The spectral break cannot be reproduced by time-dependent particle injection one-zone spectral energy distribution models, which strongly indicates that a more complex emission model is needed, as suggested by recent theoretical models. We also search for narrow emission or absorption lines with the SXS, and perform a timing analysis of PSR J1833$-$1034 with the HXI and SGD. No significant pulsation is found from the pulsar. However, unexpectedly, narrow absorption line features are detected in the SXS data at 4.2345 keV and 9.296 keV with a significance of 3.65 $sigma$. While the origin of these features is not understood, their mere detection opens up a new field of research and was only possible with the high resolution, sensitivity and ability to measure extended sources provided by an X-ray microcalorimeter.
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Previous observations of the middle-aged pulsar Geminga with XMM-Newton and Chandra have shown an unusual pulsar wind nebula (PWN), with a 20 long central (axial) tail directed opposite to the pulsars proper motion and two 2 long, bent lateral (outer) tails. Here we report on a deeper (78 ks) Chandra observation and a few additional XMM-Newton observations of the Geminga PWN. The new Chandra observation has shown that the axial tail, which includes up to three brighter blobs, extends at least 50 (i.e., 0.06 d_{250} pc) from the pulsar. It also allowed us to image the patchy outer tails and the emission in the immediate vicinity of the pulsar with high resolution. The PWN luminosity, L_{0.3-8 keV} ~ 3times 10^{29} d_{250}^2 erg/s, is lower than the pulsars magnetospheric luminosity by a factor of 10. The spectra of the PWN elements are rather hard (photon index ~ 1). Comparing the two Chandra images, we found evidence of PWN variability, including possible motion of the blobs along the axial tail. The X-ray PWN is the synchrotron radiation from relativistic particles of the pulsar wind; its morphology is connected with the supersonic motion of Geminga. We speculate that the outer tails are either (1) a sky projection of the limb-brightened boundary of a shell formed in the region of contact discontinuity, where the wind bulk flow is decelerated by shear instability, or (2) polar outflows from the pulsar bent by the ram pressure from the ISM. In the former case, the axial tail may be a jet emanating along the pulsars spin axis, perhaps aligned with the direction of motion. In the latter case, the axial tail may be the shocked pulsar wind collimated by the ram pressure.
A recent study by Posselt et al. (2017) reported the deepest X-ray investigation of the Geminga pulsar wind nebula (PWN) by using emph{Chandra X-ray Observatory}. In comparison with previous studies of this system, a number of new findings have been reported and we found these suggest the possible variabilities in various components of this PWN. This motivates us to carry out a dedicated search for the morphological and spectral variations of this complex nebula. We have discovered variabilities on timescales from a few days to a few months from different components of the nebula. The fastest change occurred in the circumstellar environment at a rate of 80 per cent of the speed of light. One of the most spectacular results is the wiggling of a half light-year long tail as an extension of the jet, which is significantly bent by the ram pressure. The jet wiggling occurred at a rate of about 20 per cent of the speed of light. This twisted structure can possibly be a result of a propagating torsional Alf`{v}en wave. We have also found evidence of spectral hardening along this tail for a period of about nine months.
G21.5-0.9 is a plerionic supernova remnant (SNR) used as a calibration target for the Chandra X-ray telescope. The first observations found an extended halo surrounding the bright central pulsar wind nebula (PWN). A 2005 study discovered that this halo is limb-brightened and suggested the halo to be the missing SNR shell. In 2010 the spectrum of the limb-brightened shell was found to be dominated by non-thermal X-rays. In this study, we combine 15 years of Chandra observations comprising over 1~Msec of exposure time (796.1~ks with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) and 306.1~ks with the High Resolution Camera (HRC)) to provide the deepest-to-date imaging and spectroscopic study. The emission from the limb is primarily non-thermal and is described by a power-law model with a photon index $Gamma = 2.22 , (2.04-2.34)$, plus a weak thermal component characterized by a temperature $kT = 0.37, (0.20-0.64)$ keV and a low ionization timescale of $n_{e}t < 2.95 times 10^{10}$ cm$^{-3}$s. The northern knot located in the halo is best fitted with a two-component power-law + non-equilibrium ionization thermal model characterized by a temperature of 0.14 keV and an enhanced abundance of silicon, confirming its nature as ejecta. We revisit the spatially resolved spectral study of the PWN and find that its radial spectral profile can be explained by diffusion models. The best fit diffusion coefficient is $D sim 2.1times 10^{27}rm cm^2/s$ assuming a magnetic field $B =130 mu G$, which is consistent with recent 3D MHD simulation results.
We report on new NuSTAR and archival Chandra observations of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) 3C 58. Using the X-ray data, we measure energy-dependent morphologies and spatially-resolved spectra of the PWN. We find that the PWN size becomes smaller with increasing energy and that the spectrum is softer in outer regions. In the spatially integrated spectrum of the PWN, we find a hint of a spectral break at $sim$25 keV. We interpret these findings using synchrotron-radiation scenarios. We attribute the size change to the synchrotron burn-off effect. The radial profile of the spectral index has a break at $Rsim80$, implying a maximum electron energy of $sim$200 TeV which is larger than a previous estimate, and the 25-keV spectral break corresponds to a maximum electron energy of $sim$140 TeV for an assumed magnetic field strength of 80 $mu$G. Combining the X-ray data and a previous radio-to-IR SED, we measure a cooling break frequency to be $sim 10^{15}$ Hz, which constrains the magnetic-field strength in 3C 58 to be 30-200$mu$G for an assumed age range of 800-5000 years.
To search for giant X-ray pulses correlated with the giant radio pulses (GRPs) from the Crab pulsar, we performed a simultaneous observation of the Crab pulsar with the X-ray satellite Hitomi in the 2 -- 300 keV band and the Kashima NICT radio observatory in the 1.4 -- 1.7 GHz band with a net exposure of about 2 ks on 25 March 2016, just before the loss of the Hitomi mission.The timing performance of the Hitomi instruments was confirmed to meet the timing requirement and about 1,000 and 100 GRPs were simultaneously observed at the main and inter-pulse phases, respectively, and we found no apparent correlation between the giant radio pulses and the X-ray emission in either the main or inter-pulse phases.All variations are within the 2 sigma fluctuations of the X-ray fluxes at the pulse peaks, and the 3 sigma upper limits of variations of main- or inter- pulse GRPs are 22% or 80% of the peak flux in a 0.20 phase width, respectively, in the 2 -- 300 keV band.The values become 25% or 110% for main or inter-pulse GRPs, respectively, when the phase width is restricted into the 0.03 phase.Among the upper limits from the Hitomi satellite, those in the 4.5-10 keV and the 70-300 keV are obtained for the first time, and those in other bands are consistent with previous reports.Numerically, the upper limits of main- and inter-pulse GRPs in the 0.20 phase width are about (2.4 and 9.3) $times 10^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$, respectively. No significant variability in pulse profiles implies that the GRPs originated from a local place within the magnetosphere and the number of photon-emitting particles temporally increases.However, the results do not statistically rule out variations correlated with the GRPs, because the possible X-ray enhancement may appear due to a $>0.02$% brightening of the pulse-peak flux under such conditions.
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