Related papers: The Crab optical and ultraviolet polarimetry
The Crab nebula is widely used as a polarization angle calibrator for single-dish radio observations because of its brightness, high degree of linear polarization, and well-known polarization angle over a wide frequency range. However, the…
The poor angular resolution of imaging gamma-ray telescopes is offset by the large reflector areas of next generation telescopes such as MAGIC (17~m diameter), which makes the study of optical emission associated with some gamma-ray sources…
We can probe observationally and reproduce theoretically intricate properties of the Crab Nebula nearest to the pulsar - The Inner Knot. The tiny knot is indeed a bright spot on the surface of a quasi-stationary magnetic relativistic shock…
Being fast rotating objects, Isolated Neutron Stars (INSs) are natural targets for high-time resolution observations across the whole electromagnetic spectrum. With the number of objects detected at optical (plus ultraviolet and infrared)…
In this paper we first provide a brief history of the handful of X-ray polarization measurements that have been accomplished to date. We then outline new technological developments that indicate more detailed polarization measurements in…
The largest number of known young neutron stars are observed as spin-powered pulsars. While the majority of those are detected at radio frequencies, an increasing number can be studied at other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum as well.…
The supernova remnant SNR 0540-69.3, twin of the Crab Nebula, offers an excellent opportunity to study the continuum emission from a young pulsar and pulsar-wind nebula (PWN). We present observations taken with the VLT instruments MUSE and…
We present HST/STIS far-UV observations of the Crab nebula and its pulsar. Broad, blueshifted absorption arising in the nebula is seen in C IV 1550, reaching about 2500 km/s. This can be interpreted as evidence for a fast outer shell, and…
We investigate the time-dependent behavior of Crab-like pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) generating a set of models using 4 different initial spin-down luminosities ($L_0 =\{1,0.1,0.01,0.001\} \times L_{0, {\rm Crab}}$), 8 values of magnetic…
The remarkable Crab Nebula is powered by an energetic pulsar whose relativistic wind interacts with the inner parts of the Supernova Remnant SN1054. Despite low-intensity optical and X-ray variations in the inner Nebula, the Crab has been…
The results of optical studies of Isolated Neutron Stars (INSs), their Pulsar-Wind Nebulae (PWNe) and Pulsar Bow Shocks are reviewed and discussed.
Our high time resolution observations of individual pulses from the Crab pulsar show that the main pulse and interpulse differ in temporal behavior, spectral behavior, polarization and dispersion. The main pulse properties are consistent…
Using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), we obtained high-time-resolution measurements of the full (linear and circular) polarization of the Crab pulsar. Taken at a resolution of 1/8192 of the 34-ms pulse period (i.e.,…
The Gamma RAy Polarimeter Experiment (GRAPE), a balloon borne Compton polarimeter for 50-500 keV gamma rays, was successfully flown for the second time in 2014. GRAPE consists of 24 collimated polarimeter modules. Each module is made up of…
We have carried out new, high-frequency, high-time-resolution observations of the Crab pulsar. Combining these with our previous data, we characterize bright single pulses associated with the Main Pulse, both the Low-Frequency and…
The ~1700 year old PSR B0540-69 in the LMC is considered the twin of the Crab pulsar because of its similar spin parameters, magnetic field, and energetics. Its optical spectrum is fit by a power-law, ascribed to synchrotron radiation, like…
The INTEGRAL satellite explored the gamma-ray sky since its launch on October 17, 2002, and until the end of its scientific operation on February 28, 2025. A large fraction of the available data is still largely untouched, due to the…
A small number of pulsars are known to emit giant pulses, single pulses much brighter than average. Among these is PSR J0534+2200, also known as the Crab pulsar, a young pulsar with high giant pulse rates. Long-term monitoring of the Crab…
Polarisation measurements of pulsars offer an unique insight into the geometry of the emission regions in the neutron star magnetosphere. Therefore, they provide observational constraints on the different models proposed for the pulsar…
We model the inner knot of the Crab Nebula as a synchrotron emission coming from the non-spherical MHD termination shock of relativistic pulsar wind. The post-shock flow is mildly relativistic; as a result the Doppler-beaming has a strong…