Discovery of Pulsed γ-rays from PSR J0034-0534 with the Fermi Large Area Telescope: A Case for Co-located Radio and γ-ray Emission Regions

Journal Article · Tue Mar 09 00:00:00 EST 2010 · The Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/712/2/957· OSTI ID:1357568

Abdo, A. A.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonamente, E.; Borgland, A. W.; Bouvier, A.; Bregeon, J.; Brez, A.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P. ; Burnett, T. H.; Buson, S.; Caliandro, G. A.; Cameron, R. A.; Camilo, F.; Caraveo, P. A.; Carrigan, S.; Casandjian, J. M.; Cecchi, C.; Çelik, Ö.; Chekhtman, A.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiang, J.; Ciprini, S.; Claus, R.; Cognard, I.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.; Conrad, J.; Corbet, R.; DeCesar, M. E.; Dermer, C. D.; Desvignes, G.; de Angelis, A.; de Palma, F.; Digel, S. W.; Dormody, M.; do Couto e Silva, E.; Drell, P. S.; Dubois, R.; Dumora, D.; Espinoza, C.; Farnier, C.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Focke, W. B.; Frailis, M.; Freire, P. C. C.; Fukazawa, Y.; Funk, S.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gasparrini, D.; Gehrels, N.; Germani, S.; Giavitto, G.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Grenier, I. A.; Grondin, M. -H.; Grove, J. E.; Guillemot, L.; Guiriec, S.; Hadasch, D.; Harding, A. K.; Hays, E.; Hobbs, G.; Horan, D.; Hughes, R. E.; Jóhannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Johnson, T. J.; Johnson, W. N.; Johnston, S.; Kamae, T.; Katagiri, H.; Kataoka, J.; Kawai, N.; Kerr, M.; Knödlseder, J.; Kramer, M.; Kuss, M.; Lande, J.; Latronico, L.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Garde, M. Llena; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lott, B.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Lyne, A. G.; Makeev, A.; Manchester, R. N.; Marelli, M.; Mazziotta, M. N.; McConville, W.; McEnery, J. E.; McGlynn, S.; Meurer, C.; Michelson, P. F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Moiseev, A. A.; Monte, C.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Murgia, S.; Nolan, P. L.; Norris, J. P.; Noutsos, A.; Nuss, E.; Ohsugi, T.; Omodei, N.; Orlando, E.; Ormes, J. F.; Ozaki, M.; Paneque, D.; Panetta, J. H.; Parent, D.; Pelassa, V.; Pepe, M.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Pierbattista, M.; Piron, F.; Porter, T. A.; Rainò, S.; Rando, R.; Ransom, S. M.; Razzano, M.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Reposeur, T.; Ripken, J.; Ritz, S.; Rochester, L. S.; Rodriguez, A. Y.; Romani, R. W.; Roth, M.; Ryde, F.; Sadrozinski, H. F. -W.; Sander, A.; Parkinson, P. M. Saz; Scargle, J. D.; Sgrò, C.; Siskind, E. J.; Smith, D. A.; Smith, P. D.; Spandre, G.; Spinelli, P.; Stappers, B. W.; Starck, J. -L.; Strickman, M. S.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, H.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J. B.; Thayer, J. G.; Theureau, G.; Thompson, D. J.; Thorsett, S. E.; Tibaldo, L.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Tramacere, A.; Usher, T. L.; Van Etten, A.; Vasileiou, V.; Venter, C.; Vilchez, N.; Vitale, V.; Waite, A. P.; Wallace, E.; Wang, P.; Weltevrede, P.; Winer, B. L.; Wood, K. S.; Ylinen, T.; Ziegler, M.

Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) have been firmly established as a class of γ-ray emitters via the detection of pulsations above 0.1 GeV from eight MSPs by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Here, using 13 months of LAT data, significant γ-ray pulsations at the radio period have been detected from the MSP PSR J0034–0534, making it the ninth clear MSP detection by the LAT. The γ-ray light curve shows two peaks separated by 0.274 ± 0.015 in phase which are very nearly aligned with the radio peaks, a phenomenon seen only in the Crab pulsar until now. The ≥0.1 GeV spectrum of this pulsar is well fit by an exponentially cutoff power law with a cutoff energy of 1.8 ± 0.6 ± 0.1 GeV and a photon index of 1.5 ± 0.2 ± 0.1, first errors are statistical and second are systematic. Lastly, the near-alignment of the radio and γ-ray peaks strongly suggests that the radio and γ-ray emission regions are co-located and both are the result of caustic formation.

• Research Organization: SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE
• Contributing Organization: The Fermi LAT Collaboration
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 1357568
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 21394208
• Journal Information: The Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: The Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 712; ISSN 0004-637X
• Publisher: Institute of Physics (IOP)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
gamma rays
pulsars
pulsars individual (PSR J0034–0534)