skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: PSR J0007+7303 IN THE CTA1 SUPERNOVA REMNANT: NEW GAMMA-RAY RESULTS FROM TWO YEARS OF FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal
;  [1]; ; ;  [2]; ;  [3]; ;  [4];  [5];  [6]
  1. Center for Earth Observing and Space Research, College of Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030 (United States)
  2. Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5352 (United States)
  3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
  4. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy)
  5. Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States)
  6. Praxis Inc., Alexandria, VA 22303 (United States)

One of the main results of the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope is the discovery of {gamma}-ray selected pulsars. The high magnetic field pulsar, PSR J0007+7303 in CTA1, was the first ever to be discovered through its {gamma}-ray pulsations. Based on analysis of two years of Large Area Telescope (LAT) survey data, we report on the discovery of {gamma}-ray emission in the off-pulse phase interval at the {approx}6{sigma} level. The emission appears to be extended at the {approx}2{sigma} level with a disk of extension {approx}0.{sup 0}6. level. The flux from this emission in the energy range E {>=} 100 MeV is F{sub 100} = (1.73 {+-} 0.40{sub stat} {+-} 0.18{sub sys}) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -8} photons cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} and is best fitted by a power law with a photon index of {Gamma} = 2.54 {+-} 0.14{sub stat} {+-} 0.05{sub sys}. The pulsed {gamma}-ray flux in the same energy range is F{sub 100} = (3.95 {+-} 0.07{sub stat} {+-} 0.30{sub sys}) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7} photons cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} and is best fitted by an exponentially cutoff power-law spectrum with a photon index of {Gamma} = 1.41 {+-} 0.23{sub stat} {+-} 0.03{sub sys} and a cutoff energy E{sub c} = 4.04 {+-} 0.20{sub stat} {+-} 0.67{sub sys} GeV. We find no flux variability either at the 2009 May glitch or in the long-term behavior. We model the {gamma}-ray light curve with two high-altitude emission models, the outer gap and slot gap, and find that the preferred model depends strongly on the assumed origin of the off-pulse emission. Both models favor a large angle between the magnetic axis and observer line of sight, consistent with the nondetection of radio emission being a geometrical effect. Finally, we discuss how the LAT results bear on the understanding of the cooling of this neutron star.

OSTI ID:
22004200
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 744, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Cited By (10)

Nuclear Equation of State for Compact Stars and Supernovae book January 2018
THE SECOND FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE CATALOG OF GAMMA-RAY PULSARS journal September 2013
An analytic approach for the study of pulsar spindown journal June 2018
Molecular environment, reverberation, and radiation from the pulsar wind nebula in CTA 1 journal April 2016
Prospects for the detection of high-energy (E > 25 GeV) Fermi pulsars with the Cherenkov Telescope Array journal June 2017
Optical detection of the black widow binary PSR J2052+1219 journal September 2019
The Second Fermi Large area Telescope Catalog of Gamma-Ray Pulsars text January 2013
Molecular environment, reverberation, and radiation from the pulsar wind nebula in CTA 1 text January 2016
Molecular environment, reverberation, and radiation from the pulsar wind nebula in CTA 1 text January 2016
Nuclear Equation of state for Compact Stars and Supernovae text January 2018