English

Magnetar-like Emission from the Young Pulsar in Kes 75

Astrophysics 2009-11-13 v2

Abstract

We report detection of magnetar-like X-ray bursts from the young pulsar PSR J1846-0258, at the center of the supernova remnant Kes 75. This pulsar, long thought to be rotation-powered, has an inferred surface dipolar magnetic field of 4.9x10^13 G, higher than those of the vast majority of rotation-powered pulsars, but lower than those of the ~12 previously identified magnetars. The bursts were accompanied by a sudden flux increase and an unprecedented change in timing behavior. These phenomena lower the magnetic and rotational thresholds associated with magnetar-like behavior, and suggest that in neutron stars there exists a continuum of magnetic activity that increases with inferred magnetic field strength.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0802.1704,
  title  = {Magnetar-like Emission from the Young Pulsar in Kes 75},
  author = {F. P. Gavriil and M. E. Gonzalez and E. V. Gotthelf and V. M. Kaspi and M. A. Livingstone and P. M. Woods},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0802.1704},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

17 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Science. Note: The content of this paper is embargoed until February 21, 2008