Tomasz Nowakowski is a writer for Phys.org.
Astronomers used NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory and the Australia Telescope Compact Array to investigate a pulsar wind nebula. The results of the study were published on the arXiv pre-print server.
The wind of a pulsar is what powers the wind nebulae. The charged particles in the pulsar wind form a PWN when they collide with the surroundings of the supernova.
Particles are less energetic with distance from the central pulsar. The potential for uncovering important information about particle flow in these nebulae can be found in multiwavelength studies of these objects. This could give us important insights into the nature of the people who live there.
A young and energetic pulsar with a spin period of over 100 milliseconds can be seen at a distance of some 11,500 light years. The pulsar has a characteristic age of 21,000 years and spin-down power of 2.6 undecillion erg/s.
There is a PWN with a strange shape similar to a goose in flight. Radio images show that the pulsar is located at the head of theoose PWN, and with a noticeable bend in the neck.
The X-ray observations of J1016's tail and surroundings revealed the presence of a hot substance. The existence of nearby radio structures suggests that J1016 is still inside its progenitor supernova remnant. The boundaries are still not fully constrained.
The study found that the proper motion of J1016 is 28.8 mas per year at a position angle of 198 degrees East of North. The direction of proper motion is in agreement with the shape of the PWN and the direction of the tail according to the images.
The tail of J1016 fades in X-rays at larger distances, but the radio emission becomes brighter. The tail bends and appears to connect with a larger radio structure. The authors of the paper think that this is due to an interaction with the reverse shock inside the host supernova remnant.
The spectrum softened with increasing distance from the pulsar. The rapid burn-off may have caused such behavior.
More information: Noel Klingler et al, "The Goose" Pulsar Wind Nebula of PSR J1016–5857: The Birth of a Plerion. arXiv:2204.13167v1 [astro-ph.HE], arxiv.org/abs/2204.13167The Science X Network will be launched in 2022.
Citation: Researchers investigate 'the Goose' pulsar wind nebula (2022, May 5) retrieved 5 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-goose-pulsar-nebula.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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