Fermi detection of a luminous γ-ray pulsar in a globular cluster

Journal Article · Thu Nov 03 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1207141· OSTI ID:1356800

Freire, P. C. C.; Abdo, A. A.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonamente, E.; Borgland, A. W.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.; Buehler, R.; Buson, S.; Caliandro, G. A.; Cameron, R. A.; Camilo, F. ; Caraveo, P. A.; Cecchi, C.; Celik, O.; Charles, E.; Chekhtman, A.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiang, J.; Ciprini, S.; Claus, R.; Cognard, I.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.; Cominsky, L. R.; de Palma, F.; Dermer, C. D.; do Couto e Silva, E.; Dormody, M.; Drell, P. S.; Dubois, R.; Dumora, D.; Espinoza, C. M.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Ferrara, E. C.; Focke, W. B.; Fortin, P.; Fukazawa, Y.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gasparrini, D.; Gehrels, N.; Germani, S.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Giroletti, M.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Grenier, I. A.; Grondin, M. -. H.; Grove, J. E.; Guillemot, L.; Guiriec, S.; Hadasch, D.; Harding, A. K.; Johannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Johnson, T. J.; Johnston, S.; Katagiri, H.; Kataoka, J.; Keith, M.; Kerr, M.; Knodlseder, J.; Kramer, M.; Kuss, M.; Lande, J.; Latronico, L.; Lee, S. -. H.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Lyne, A. G.; Manchester, R. N.; Marelli, M.; Mazziotta, M. N.; McEnery, J. E.; Michelson, P. F.; Mizuno, T.; Moiseev, A. A.; Monte, C.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Murgia, S.; Nakamori, T.; Nolan, P. L.; Norris, J. P.; Nuss, E.; Ohsugi, T.; Okumura, A.; Omodei, N.; Orlando, E.; Ozaki, M.; Paneque, D.; Parent, D.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Pierbattista, M.; Piron, F.; Porter, T. A.; Raino, S.; Ransom, S. M.; Ray, P. S.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Reposeur, T.; Ritz, S.; Romani, R. W.; Roth, M.; Sadrozinski, H. F. -. W.; Parkinson, P. M. S.; Sgro, C.; Shannon, R.; Siskind, E. J.; Smith, D. A.; Smith, P. D.; Spinelli, P.; Stappers, B. W.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, H.; Tanaka, T.; Tauris, T. M.; Thayer, J. B.; Theureau, G.; Thompson, D. J.; Thorsett, S. E.; Tibaldo, L.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Troja, E.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Etten, A.; Vasileiou, V.; Venter, C.; Vianello, G.; Vilchez, N.; Vitale, V.; Waite, A. P.; Wang, P.; Wood, K. S.; Yang, Z.; Ziegler, M.; Zimmer, S.

Here, we report on the Fermi Large Area Telescope’s detection of γ-ray (>100 mega–electron volts) pulsations from pulsar J1823–3021A in the globular cluster NGC 6624 with high significance (~7 σ). Its γ-ray luminosity, L_γ = (8.4 ± 1.6) × 10³⁴ ergs per second, is the highest observed for any millisecond pulsar (MSP) to date, and it accounts for most of the cluster emission. The nondetection of the cluster in the off-pulse phase implies that it contains <32 γ-ray MSPs, not ~100 as previously estimated. The γ-ray luminosity indicates that the unusually large rate of change of its period is caused by its intrinsic spin-down. This implies that J1823–3021A has the largest magnetic field and is the youngest MSP ever detected and that such anomalous objects might be forming at rates comparable to those of the more normal MSPs.

• Research Organization: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Contributing Organization: The Fermi LAT Collaboration
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 1356800
• Journal Information: Science, Journal Name: Science Journal Issue: 6059 Vol. 334; ISSN 0036-8075
• Publisher: AAAS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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