The helical jet of the Vela Pulsar


Abstract in English

We have studied the fascinating dynamics of the nearby Vela pulsars nebula in a campaign comprising eleven 40ks observations with Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO). The deepest yet images revealed the shape, structure, and motion of the 2-arcminute-long pulsar jet. We find that the jets shape and dynamics are remarkably consistent with that of a steadily turning helix projected on the sky. We discuss possible implications of our results, including free precession of the neutron star and MHD instability scenarios.

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