High-energy flux evolution of Pulsar Wind Nebulae
- AstroParticule et Cosmologie, CNRS/Universite Paris 7, Batiment Condorcet, PARIS F-75205 cedex (France)
- CEA Saclay, DSM/IRFU/Service d'Astrophysique, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)
- INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, via Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano (Italy)
The very high energy {gamma}-ray spectra of Pulsar Wind Nebulae are interpreted as due to inverse Compton scattering of ultrarelativistic electrons on the ambient photons, whereas their X-ray spectra are due to synchrotron emission. We investigate the relation between the {gamma}- and X-ray emission and the pulsars' spin-down luminosity and characteristic age. We find that the {gamma}-to X-ray flux ratio of the nebulae is inversely proportional to the spin-down luminosity ({proportional_to}E{sup -1.9}) and to the characteristic age ({proportional_to}{tau}{sub c}{sup 2.2}) of the parent pulsar. We interpret these results as due to the evolution of the electron energy distribution and the nebular dynamics, supporting the idea of so-called relic pulsar wind nebulae. These empirical relations provide a new tool to classify unidentified diffuse {gamma}-ray sources and to estimate the spin-down luminosity and characteristic age for four rotation powered pulsars with no detected pulsation from the X- and {gamma}--ray properties of the associated pulsar wind nebulae.
- OSTI ID:
- 21255154
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1085, Issue 1; Conference: 4. international meeting on high energy gamma-ray astronomy, Heidelberg (Germany), 7-11 Jul 2008; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3076667; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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