Proper motion, spectra, and timing of PSR J1813-1749 using Chandra and NICER
Abstract
PSR J1813-1749 is one of the most energetic rotation-powered pulsars known, producing a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) and gamma-ray and TeV emission, but whose spin period is only measurable in X-ray. We present analysis of two Chandra data sets that are separated by more than 10 yr and recent NICER data. The long baseline of the Chandra data allows us to derive a pulsar proper motion $\mu _{\rm RA}=(-0.067\pm 0.010)\, \mathrm{ arcsec}\,\mathrm{yr^{-1}}$ and $\mu _{\rm Dec.}=(-0.014\pm 0.007)\, \mathrm{ arcsec}\,\mathrm{yr^{-1}}$ and velocity $v_\perp \approx 900\!-\!1600\, \mathrm{km\, s^{-1}}$ (assuming a distance d = 3-5 kpc), although we cannot exclude a contribution to the change in measured pulsar position due to a change in brightness structure of the PWN very near the pulsar. We model the PWN and pulsar spectra using an absorbed power law and obtain best-fitting absorption $N_{\rm H}=(13.1\pm 0.9)\times 10^{22}\, \mathrm{cm^{-2}}$, photon index Γ = 1.5 ± 0.1, and 0.3-10 keV luminosity $L_{\rm X}\approx 5.4\times 10^{34}\, \mathrm{erg\, s^{-1}}(d/\mbox{ 5 kpc})^2$ for the PWN and Γ = 1.2 ± 0.1 and $L_{\rm X}\approx 9.3\times 10^{33}\, \mathrm{erg\, s^{-1}}(d/\mbox{ 5 kpc})^2$ for PSR J1813-1749. These values do not change between the 2006 and 2016 observations. We use NICER observations from 2019 to obtain a timing model of PSR J1813-1749, with spin frequency ν = 22.35 Hz and spin frequency time derivative $\dot{\nu }=(-6.428\pm 0.003)\times 10^{-11}\, \mathrm{Hz\, s^{-1}}$. We also fit ν measurements from 2009 to 2012 and our 2019 value and find a long-term spin-down rate $\dot{\nu }=(-6.3445\pm 0.0004)\times 10^{-11}\, \mathrm{Hz\, s^{-1}}$. We speculate that the difference in spin-down rates is due to glitch activity or emission mode switching.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- November 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/staa2653
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2009.00031
- Bibcode:
- 2020MNRAS.498.4396H
- Keywords:
-
- pulsars: general;
- pulsars: individual: CXOU J181335.16-174957.4;
- PSR J1813-1749;
- ISM: individual: G12.82-0.02;
- HESS J1813-178;
- ISM: supernova remnants;
- X-rays: stars;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 5 figures