Detection of an X-ray Pulsation for the Gamma-Ray Pulsar Centered in CTA 1
Abstract
We report the detection of X-ray pulsations with a period of ~315.87 ms from the 2009 XMM-Newton observation for the radio-quiet γ-ray pulsar, LAT PSR J0007+7303, centered in the supernova remnant CTA 1. The detected pulsed period is consistent with the γ-ray periodicity at the same epoch found with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The broader sinusoidal structure in the folded light curve of the X-ray emission is dissimilar to that of the γ-ray emission, and the phase of the peak is about 0.5 shifting from the peak in the γ-ray bands, indicating that the main component of the X-rays originates from different sites of the pulsar. We conclude that the main component of the X-ray pulsation is contributed by the thermal emission from the neutron star. Although with a significantly different characteristic age, PSR J0007+7303 is similar to Geminga in emission properties of X-rays and γ-rays this makes PSR J0007+7303 the second radio-quiet γ-ray pulsar with detected X-ray pulsations after Geminga.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1088/2041-8205/725/1/L1
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1010.1354
- Bibcode:
- 2010ApJ...725L...1L
- Keywords:
-
- gamma rays: general;
- pulsars: individual: PSR J0007+7303 Geminga;
- radiation mechanisms: non-thermal;
- radiation mechanisms: thermal;
- X-rays: general;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 7 pages, 4 figures and 1 table