船帆座脉冲星风星云的X射线偏振接近同步辐射极限。

Vela pulsar wind nebula X-rays are polarized to near the synchrotron limit.

作者信息

Xie Fei, Di Marco Alessandro, La Monaca Fabio, Liu Kuan, Muleri Fabio, Bucciantini Niccolò, Romani Roger W, Costa Enrico, Rankin John, Soffitta Paolo, Bachetti Matteo, Di Lalla Niccolò, Fabiani Sergio, Ferrazzoli Riccardo, Gunji Shuichi, Latronico Luca, Negro Michela, Omodei Nicola, Pilia Maura, Trois Alessio, Watanabe Eri, Agudo Iván, Antonelli Lucio A, Baldini Luca, Baumgartner Wayne H, Bellazzini Ronaldo, Bianchi Stefano, Bongiorno Stephen D, Bonino Raffaella, Brez Alessandro, Capitanio Fiamma, Castellano Simone, Cavazzuti Elisabetta, Ciprini Stefano, De Rosa Alessandra, Del Monte Ettore, Di Gesu Laura, Donnarumma Immacolata, Doroshenko Victor, Dovčiak Michal, Ehlert Steven R, Enoto Teruaki, Evangelista Yuri, Garcia Javier A, Hayashida Kiyoshi, Heyl Jeremy, Iwakiri Wataru, Jorstad Svetlana G, Karas Vladimir, Kitaguchi Takao, Kolodziejczak Jeffery J, Krawczynski Henric, Liodakis Ioannis, Maldera Simone, Manfreda Alberto, Marin Frédéric, Marinucci Andrea, Marscher Alan P, Marshall Herman L, Massaro Francesco, Matt Giorgio, Mitsuishi Ikuyuki, Mizuno Tsunefumi, Ng C-Y, O'Dell Stephen L, Oppedisano Chiara, Papitto Alessandro, Pavlov George G, Peirson Abel L, Perri Matteo, Pesce-Rollins Melissa, Petrucci Pierre-Olivier, Possenti Andrea, Poutanen Juri, Puccetti Simonetta, Ramsey Brian D, Ratheesh Ajay, Sgró Carmelo, Slane Patrick, Spandre Gloria, Tamagawa Toru, Tavecchio Fabrizio, Taverna Roberto, Tawara Yuzuru, Tennant Allyn F, Thomas Nicolas E, Tombesi Francesco, Tsygankov Sergey S, Turolla Roberto, Vink Jacco, Weisskopf Martin C, Wu Kinwah, Zane Silvia

机构信息

Guangxi Key Laboratory for Relativistic Astrophysics, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.

INAF Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Rome, Italy.

出版信息

Nature. 2022 Dec;612(7941):658-660. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05476-5. Epub 2022 Dec 21.

DOI:10.1038/s41586-022-05476-5

PMID:36543953

Abstract

Pulsar wind nebulae are formed when outflows of relativistic electrons and positrons hit the surrounding supernova remnant or interstellar medium at a shock front. The Vela pulsar wind nebula is powered by a young pulsar (B0833-45, aged 11,000 years) and located inside an extended structure called Vela X, which is itself inside the supernova remnant. Previous X-ray observations revealed two prominent arcs that are bisected by a jet and counter jet. Radio maps have shown high linear polarization of 60% in the outer regions of the nebula. Here we report an X-ray observation of the inner part of the nebula, where polarization can exceed 60% at the leading edge-approaching the theoretical limit of what can be produced by synchrotron emission. We infer that, in contrast with the case of the supernova remnant, the electrons in the pulsar wind nebula are accelerated with little or no turbulence in a highly uniform magnetic field.

摘要

脉冲星风星云是在相对论性电子和正电子外流在激波前沿撞击周围的超新星遗迹或星际介质时形成的。船帆座脉冲星风星云由一颗年轻的脉冲星（B0833 - 45，年龄为11000年）提供能量，位于一个名为船帆座X的扩展结构内部，而船帆座X本身又处于超新星遗迹内部。先前的X射线观测揭示了两条由喷流和反向喷流平分的显著弧线。射电图显示星云外部区域的线偏振高达60%。在此，我们报告对星云内部部分的X射线观测结果，在靠近前沿的位置，偏振度可能超过60%，接近同步辐射所能产生的理论极限。我们推断，与超新星遗迹的情况不同，脉冲星风星云中的电子是在高度均匀的磁场中几乎没有或完全没有湍流的情况下被加速的。