The spectacular X-ray echo of a magnetar burst
Abstract
The Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) 1E 1547.0-5408 reactivated in 2009 January with the emission of dozens of short bursts. Follow-up observations with Swift/XRT and XMM-Newton showed the presence of multiple expanding rings around the position of the AXP. These rings are due to scattering, by different layers of interstellar dust, of a very high fluence burst emitted by 1E 1547.0-5408 on 2009 January 22. Thanks to the exceptional brightness of the X-ray rings, we could carry out a detailed study of their spatial and spectral time evolution until 2009 February 4. This analysis gives the possibility to estimate the distance of 1E 1547.0-5408. We also derived constraints on the properties of the dust and of the burst responsible for this rare phenomenon.
- Publication:
-
X-ray Astronomy 2009; Present Status, Multi-Wavelength Approach and Future Perspectives
- Pub Date:
- July 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.3475361
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1001.1296
- Bibcode:
- 2010AIPC.1248...81T
- Keywords:
-
- X-ray pulsars;
- interstellar matter;
- planetary rings;
- astronomical telescopes;
- 97.60.Gb;
- 98.58.Ay;
- 96.30.Wr;
- 95.55.Ka;
- Pulsars;
- Physical properties;
- Planetary rings;
- X- and gamma-ray telescopes and instrumentation;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- Proceedings of the conference X-Ray Astronomy 2009, Present Status, multiwavelength approach and future perspectives, September 7 - 11, 2009, Bologna, Italy