Kinetic ‘jets’ from fast-moving pulsars
[1];
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2036, USA, Astrophysical big bang Laboratory, RIKEN, 351-0198 Saitama, Japan, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Science (IKI), 84/32 Profsoyuznaya Str., Moscow, Russia, 117997
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2036, USA
- Department of Physics, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Departament de Física Quàntica i Astrofísica, Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (ICCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, IEEC-UB, Martí i Franquès 1, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
Some fast-moving pulsars, such as the Guitar and the Lighthouse, exhibit asymmetric non-thermal emission features that extend well beyond their ram pressure confined pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). Based on our 3D relativistic simulations, we analytically explain these features as kinetically streaming pulsar wind particles that escaped into the interstellar medium (ISM) due to reconnection between the PWN and ISM magnetic fields. The structure of the reconnecting magnetic fields at the incoming and outgoing regions produces highly asymmetric magnetic bottles therefore and result in asymmetric extended features. For the features to become visible, the ISM magnetic field should be sufficiently high, BISM > 10 |$$\mu$$|G. We also discuss archival observations of PWNe displaying evidence of kinetic jets: the Dragonfly PWN (PSR J2021 + 3651), G327.1–1.1, and MSH 11–62, the latter two of which exhibit symmetric ‘snail eyes’ morphologies. In conclusion, we suggest that in those cases the pulsar is moving along the ambient magnetic field in a frisbee-type configuration.
- Research Organization:
- Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0016369; AST-1306672; 80NSSC17K0757
- OSTI ID:
- 1498192
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1612510
- Journal Information:
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Journal Name: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol. 485 Journal Issue: 2; ISSN 0035-8711
- Publisher:
- Royal Astronomical SocietyCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
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