Evolution of the X-Ray Profile of the Crab Pulsar
Abstract
Using the archival data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, we study the evolution of the Crab pulsar's X-ray profile in a time span of 11 years. The X-ray profiles, as characterized by a few parameters, changed slightly, but with high statistical significance in these years: the separation of the two peaks increased with a rate of 0.°88 ± 0.°20 per century, the flux ratio of the second pulse to the first pulse decreased by (3.64+/- 0.86)× {10}-2 per century, and the pulse widths of the two pulses represented by their full widths at half maxima decreased by 1.44° ± 1.15° and 1.09° ± 0.73° per century, respectively. The evolutionary trends of the X-ray profile are similar to that observed in radio, but with quantitative differences. Finally, we briefly discuss the constraints of these X-ray properties on the geometry of the emission region of this pulsar.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- February 2016
- DOI:
- 10.3847/0004-637X/818/1/48
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1909.04809
- Bibcode:
- 2016ApJ...818...48G
- Keywords:
-
- pulsars: individual: PSR B0531+21;
- stars: neutron;
- X-rays: stars;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- doi:10.3847/0004-637X/818/1/48