Searching for Debris Disks around Seven Radio Pulsars
Abstract
We report on our searches for debris disks around seven relatively nearby radio pulsars, which are isolated sources that were carefully selected as targets on the basis of our deep Ks -band imaging survey. The Ks images obtained with the 6.5 m Baade Magellan Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory are analyzed together with the Spitzer/IRAC images at 4.5 and 8.0 μm and the WISE images at 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 μm. No infrared counterparts of these pulsars are found, with flux upper limits of ~μJy at near-infrared (λ < 10 μm) and ~10-1000 μJy at mid-infrared wavelengths (λ > 10 μm). The results of this search are discussed in terms of the efficiency of converting the pulsar spin-down energy to thermal energy and X-ray heating of debris disks, with a comparison made of the two magnetars 4U 0142+61 and 1E 2259+586, which are suggested to harbor a debris disk.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- October 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0004-637X/793/2/89
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1402.3750
- Bibcode:
- 2014ApJ...793...89W
- Keywords:
-
- infrared: stars;
- pulsars: individual: J0729-1448 B0740-28 J0940-5428 B0950+08 J1015-5719 J1317-5759 J1549-484;
- stars: neutron;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 7 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ