Phase-Resolved Spectroscopy of Geminga Shows Rotating Hot Spot(s)
Abstract
Isolated neutron stars are seen in x-rays through their nonthermal and/or surface thermal emissions. X-ray Multimirror Mission-Newton observations of the Geminga pulsar show a 43-electron volt spectrum from the whole neutron star surface, as well as a power-law component above 2 kiloelectron volts. In addition, we have detected a hot (170 electron volts) thermal emission from an ~60-meter-radius spot on the pulsar's surface. Such a thermal emission, only visible at selected phase intervals, may be coming from polar hot spot(s), long thought to exist as a result of heating from magnetospheric accelerated particles. It may provide the missing link between the x-ray and gamma-ray emission of the pulsar.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- July 2004
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.1097173
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0407402
- Bibcode:
- 2004Sci...305..376C
- Keywords:
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- ASTRONOMY;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Published in Science, 16 July 2004