The Guitar Nebula, Bow Shocks From High Velocity Pulsars, and Companions of Recycled Pulsars

We report results of optical studies of neutron star interactions with companion objects and the surrounding medium. In Hα observations of 11 high velocity, high spindown energy pulsars we have discovered one spectacular bow shock nebula, the Guitar Nebula, produced by the motion of the pulsar, PSR 2224+65, through partially neutral gas. One other pulsar, PSR 0136+57, has a faint feature near the pulsar position with a nonstellar morphology. We discuss the possibility that this is another shock and give upper limits on shock emission for the rest of the pulsars. Further, we consider possible scaling of shock emission with pulsar spindown energy and velocity, and detectability of shocks in other pulsars. Shocks may even reveal the existence of neutron stars not detectable as pulsars due to beaming or lack of pulsed radio emission. Our observations of several binary millisecond pulsars show some intriquing counterparts in some cases and allow strong limits to be placed on the magnitude of any counterparts in others. In pulsars 1534+12 and 1953+29 optical counterparts near the pulsar position are most likely chance coincidence with foreground stars. We imaged PSR 1257+12 in the hope of seeing the remnants of the disk which resulted in formation of planets or another pulsar wind driven shock nebula. We place upper limits on optical emission from nebulosity in the vicinity of the pulsar. This work was supported by grants from NSF, NASA and the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center which operates Arecibo Observatory under contract with the NSF.