Issue |
A&A
Volume 548, December 2012
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A46 | |
Number of page(s) | 10 | |
Section | Interstellar and circumstellar matter | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201219814 | |
Published online | 19 November 2012 |
Identification of HESS J1303−631 as a pulsar wind nebula through γ-ray, X-ray, and radio observations
1
Universität Hamburg, Institut für Experimentalphysik,
Luruper Chaussee 149,
22761
Hamburg, Germany
2
Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, Université
Montpellier 2, CNRS/IN2P3, CC 72,
Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095
Montpellier Cedex 5,
France
3
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, PO Box 103980, 69029
Heidelberg,
Germany
4
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies,
31 Fitzwilliam Place,
Dublin 2,
Ireland
5
National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia,
Yerevan,
Armenia
6
Yerevan Physics Institute, 2 Alikhanian Brothers St., 375036
Yerevan,
Armenia
7
Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Physikalisches
Institut, Erwin-Rommel-Str.
1, 91058
Erlangen,
Germany
8
University of Durham, Department of Physics,
South Road, Durham
DH1 3LE,
UK
9
Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center,
ul. Bartycka 18, 00-716
Warsaw,
Poland
10
CEA Saclay, DSM/IRFU, 91191
Gif-Sur-Yvette Cedex,
France
11
APC, AstroParticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris Diderot,
CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/lrfu, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie
Duquet, 75205
Paris Cedex 13,
France
12
Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, École Polytechnique,
CNRS/IN2P3, 91128
Palaiseau,
France
13
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Lehrstuhl IV: Weltraum und
Astrophysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780
Bochum,
Germany
14
Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin,
Newtonstr. 15, 12489
Berlin,
Germany
15
LUTH, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris
Diderot, 5 place Jules
Janssen, 92190
Meudon,
France
16
LPNHE, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, Université Denis
Diderot Paris 7, CNRS/IN2P3, 4
place Jussieu, 75252
Paris Cedex 5,
France
17
Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universität
Tübingen, Sand 1,
72076
Tübingen,
Germany
18
Astronomical Observatory, The University of Warsaw,
Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478
Warsaw,
Poland
19
Unit for SpacePhysics, North-West University,
2520
Potchefstroom, South
Africa
20
Landessternwarte, Universität Heidelberg,
Königstuhl, 69117
Heidelberg,
Germany
21
Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University,
Albanova University Center, 10691
Stockholm,
Sweden
22
University of Namibia, Department of Physics,
Private Bag
13301, Windhoek, Namibia
23
UJF-Grenoble 1/CNRS-INSU, Institut de Planétologie et
d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) UMR 5274, 38041
Grenoble,
France
24
Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Leicester,
University Road, Leicester, LE1
7RH, UK
25
Instytut Fizyki Ja¸drowej PAN, ul. Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342
Kraków,
Poland
26
Institut für Astro- und Teilchenphysik,
Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, 6020
Innsbruck,
Austria
27
Laboratoire d’Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique des Particules, Univ. de
Savoie, CNRS/IN2P3, 74941
Annecy-le-Vieux,
France
28
Obserwatorium Astronomiczne, Uniwersytet Jagielloński, ul. Orla
171, 30-244
Kraków,
Poland
29
Toruń Centre for Astronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus
University, ul. Gagarina
11, 87-100
Toruń,
Poland
30
School of Chemistry & Physics, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide
5005,
Australia
31
Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Institute
of Particle and Nuclear Physics, V
Holešovičkách 2, 180
00 Prague 8, Czech Republic
32
School of Physics & Astronomy, University of
Leeds, Leeds
LS2 9JT,
UK
33
Université Bordeaux 1, CNRS/IN2p3, Centre d’Études Nucléaires de Bordeaux
Gradignan, 33175
Gradignan,
France
e-mail: dalton@cenbg.in2p3.fr
34 European Associated Laboratory for Gamma-Ray Astronomy,
jointly supported by CNRS and MPG
Received: 13 June 2012
Accepted: 9 October 2012
Aims. The previously unidentified very high-energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) γ-ray source HESS J1303−631, discovered in 2004, is re-examined including new data from the H.E.S.S. Cherenkov telescope array in order to identify this object. Archival data from the XMM-Newton X-ray satellite and from the PMN radio survey are also examined.
Methods. Detailed morphological and spectral studies of VHE γ-ray emission as well as of the XMM-Newton X-ray data are performed. Radio data from the PMN survey are used as well to construct a leptonic model of the source. The γ-ray and X-ray spectra and radio upper limit are used to construct a one zone leptonic model of the spectral energy distribution (SED).
Results. Significant energy-dependent morphology of the γ-ray source is detected with high-energy emission (E > 10 TeV) positionally coincident with the pulsar PSR J1301−6305 and lower energy emission (E < 2 TeV) extending ~0.4° to the southeast of the pulsar. The spectrum of the VHE source can be described with a power-law with an exponential cut-off N0 = (5.6 ± 0.5) × 10-12 TeV-1 cm-2 s-1, Γ = 1.5 ± 0.2) and Ecut = (7.7 ± 2.2) TeV. The pulsar wind nebula (PWN) is also detected in X-rays, extending ~2−3′ from the pulsar position towards the center of the γ-ray emission region. A potential radio counterpart from the PMN survey is also discussed, showing a hint for a counterpart at the edge of the X-ray PWN trail and is taken as an upper limit in the SED. The extended X-ray PWN has an unabsorbed flux of and is detected at a significance of 6.5σ. The SED is well described by a one zone leptonic scenario which, with its associated caveats, predicts a very low average magnetic field for this source.
Conclusions. Significant energy-dependent morphology of this source, as well as the identification of an associated X-ray PWN from XMM-Newton observations enable identification of the VHE source as an evolved PWN associated to the pulsar PSR J1301−6305. This identification is supported by the one zone leptonic model, which suggests that the energetics of the γ-ray and X-ray radiation are such that they may have a similar origin in the pulsar nebula. However, the large discrepancy in emission region sizes and the low level of synchrotron radiation suggest a multi-population leptonic nature. The low implied magnetic field suggests that the PWN has undergone significant expansion. This would explain the low level of synchrotron radiation and the difficulty in detecting counterparts at lower energies, the reason this source was originally classified as a “dark” VHE γ-ray source.
Key words: Gamma rays: general / pulsars: individual: PSR J1301-6305 / ISM: individual objects: HESS J1303-631
© ESO, 2012
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