Investigating the Kookaburra's northern wing with XMM-Newton
Abstract
The complex of compact and extended sources called Kookaburra spans about one square degree along the Galactic plane. This region hosts a large circular radio shell surrounded by two wings, within which ASCA observations have revealed two candidate pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe): K3 in the north-east and the Rabbit in the south-west. Their PWN nature hypothesis has been recently strengthened by the H.E.S.S. discovery of two extended sources of very high energy emission, encompassing each of them. There is now little doubt that K3 is the wind nebula powered by the young PSR J1420-6048. However, despite the extensive multiwavelength followup, the morphology of the PWN and its relation with the TeV source are not assessed. Notably, it is not clear whether the nebula has experienced the crushing of an asymmetric supernova reverse shock or it is shaped by the pulsar supersonic motion in the supernova ejecta. Both the scenarios require a supernova shell for which has not been detected yet. Taking advantage of new XMM-Newton observations, we present the detailed X-ray morphology and spatially resolved spectra of the Kookaburra's northern wing, in particular of the K3 compact nebula and its putative diffuse trail at the position of HESS J1420-607.
- Publication:
-
38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010cosp...38.2762M