Radio observations of the region around the pulsar wind nebula HESS J1303-631 with ATCA

Radio observations of the region surrounding PSR J1301-6305 at 5.5 GHz and 7.5 GHz were conducted with ATCA on September 5, 2013. The observations were dedicated to the search of the radio counterpart of the evolved pulsar wind nebula (PWN) HESS J1303-631, which has been detected in X-rays and GeV-TeV γ-rays. The collected data do not reveal any significant extended emission associated with PSR J1301-6305. In addition, archival 1.384 GHz and 2.368 GHz data do not show any evidence for a radio counterpart of HESS J1303-631. Archival 1.384 GHz observations reveal the detection of an extended structure centred at an angular distance of 19' from the pulsar. This extended structure might be a supernova remnant (SNR) and a potential birth place of PSR J1301-6305. The implications of the lack of a radio counterpart of HESS J1303-631 on the understanding of the nature of the PWN are discussed.