Chandra X-ray Observation of the SNR Kes 75 and its 700 yr-old pulsar
Abstract
We have observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory the young Galactic supernova remnant Kes 75, one of the few examples of a shell-type remnant with a central compact radio core. Most recently we have discovered a 700 yr-old X-ray pulsar PSR J1846-0258, the youngest known pulsar, located to within 12'' of this core by the ASCA observatory. Timing analysis indicates that PSR J1846-0258 is being spun down rapidly by torques from a large magnetic dipole of strength ~ 5.0 x 1013 Gauss, just above the so-called quantum critical field. Here we present preliminary ACIS imaging-spectroscopy analysis of Kes 75 to locate the pulsar more precisely and confirm PSR J1846-0258 as a Crab-like pulsar whose period, spin-down rate, and spin-down conversion efficiency, are each an order-of-magnitude greater than the Crab, most likely as a result of its extreme magnetic field. Unlike for the slightly older Crab, the association of a shell-type remnant in Kes 75 with a coeval pulsar provides strong evidence that neutron stars are born in supernovae explosions. Furthermore, the Kes 75 system shows that pulsars may be born with much stronger magnetic fields than previously thought, significantly influencing their early evolution. This work is supported by NASA LTSA grant NAG5--7935 and a grant from the Chandra Science Center.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000AAS...197.8201G