A DYNAMICAL MODEL FOR THE EVOLUTION OF A PULSAR WIND NEBULA INSIDE A NONRADIATIVE SUPERNOVA REMNANT

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/703/2/2051· OSTI ID:21371841

Gelfand, Joseph D; Weiqun, Zhang ^[1]; Slane, Patrick O ^[2]

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1. Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, Meyer Hall of Physics, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States)
2. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

A pulsar wind nebula (PWN) inside a supernova remnant provides a unique insight into the properties of the central neutron star, the relativistic wind powered by its loss of rotational energy, its progenitor supernova, and the surrounding environment. In this paper, we present a new semianalytic model for the evolution of such a PWN throughout its lifetime. This model couples the dynamical and radiative evolution of the PWNe, and predicts both the dynamical (e.g., radius and expansion velocity) and radiative (radio to TeV gamma-ray spectrum) properties of the PWN during this period. As a result, it is well suited for using the observed properties of a PWN to constrain the physical characteristics of the neutron star, pulsar wind, progenitor supernova, and surrounding environment. We also discuss the expected evolution for a particular set of these parameters, and show that it reproduces the large spectral break inferred from the radio and X-ray spectrum of many young PWNe, and the low break frequency, low radio luminosity, high TeV gamma-ray luminosity, and high magnetization observed for several older PWNe. The predicted spectrum of this PWN also contains spectral features which appear during different evolutionary phases detectable with new radio and gamma-ray observing facilities such as the Extended Very Large Array and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Finally, this model has implications for determining if PWNe can inject a sufficient number of energetic electrons and positrons into their surroundings to explain the recent measurements of the cosmic-ray positron fraction by PAMELA and the cosmic-ray lepton spectrum by ATIC and HESS.

• OSTI ID: 21371841
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 703; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
EVOLUTION
FERMIONS
GAMMA RADIATION
GAMMA SPECTRA
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
LIFETIME
LUMINOSITY
MAGNETIZATION
MATTER
NEBULAE
NEUTRON STARS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POSITRONS
PULSARS
RADIATIONS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SPECTRA
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS
TAIL ELECTRONS
TELESCOPES
TEV RANGE
X-RAY SPECTRA