Title: FERMI LAT Pulsed Detection of PSR J0737–3039A in the Double Pulsar System

Abstract

Here, we report the Fermi Large Area Telescope discovery of γ-ray pulsations from the 22.7 ms pulsar A in the double pulsar system J0737–3039A/B. This is the first mildly recycled millisecond pulsar (MSP) detected in the GeV domain. The 2.7 s companion object PSR J0737–3039B is not detected in γ rays. PSR J0737–3039A is a faint γ-ray emitter, so that its spectral properties are only weakly constrained; however, its measured efficiency is typical of other MSPs. The two peaks of the γ-ray light curve are separated by roughly half a rotation and are well offset from the radio and X-ray emission, suggesting that the GeV radiation originates in a distinct part of the magnetosphere from the other types of emission. From the modeling of the radio and the γ-ray emission profiles and the analysis of radio polarization data, we constrain the magnetic inclination α and the viewing angle ζ to be close to 90°, which is consistent with independent studies of the radio emission from PSR J0737–3039A. In conclusion, a small misalignment angle between the pulsar's spin axis and the system's orbital axis is therefore favored, supporting the hypothesis that pulsar B was formed in a nearly symmetric supernova explosionmore » as has been discussed in the literature already.« less

Authors:

Guillemot, L. ^[1]; Kramer, M. ^[2]; Johnson, T. J. ^[3]; Craig, H. A. ^[4]; Romani, R. W. ^[4]; Venter, C. ^[5]; Harding, A. K. ^[6]; Ferdman, R. D. ^[7]; Stairs, I. H. ^[8]; Kerr, M. ^[4]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Max-Planck-Institut fur Radioastronomie (Germany)
2. Max-Planck-Institut fur Radioastronomie (Germany); The University of Manchester (United Kingdom). Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy
3. National Research Council Research Associate, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States); Resident at Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC (United States)
4. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States); Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States). W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics
5. North-West University, Potchefstroom (South Africa). Centre for Space Research
6. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (United States)
7. The University of Manchester (United Kingdom). Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy; McGill Univ., Montreal, QC (Canada). Dept of Physics
8. University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada). Department of Physics and Astronomy

Publication Date:

Thu Apr 25 00:00:00 EDT 2013

Research Org.:

SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

Contributing Org.:

Fermi-LAT Collaboration

OSTI Identifier:

1356595

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-76SF00515

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

The Astrophysical Journal

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 768; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X

Publisher:

Institute of Physics (IOP)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; gamma rays: stars; pulsars: general; pulsars: individual (PSR J0737-3039A PSR J0737-3039B)