AstroSat-CZTI as a hard X-ray pulsar monitor
Abstract
The Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride Imager (CZTI) is an imaging instrument onboard AstroSat. This instrument operates as a nearly open all-sky detector above 60 keV, making possible long integrations irrespective of the spacecraft pointing. We present a technique based on the AstroSat-CZTI data to explore the hard X-ray characteristics of the γ -ray pulsar population. We report highly significant (∼30σ ) detection of hard X-ray (60-380 keV) pulse profile of the Crab pulsar using ∼5000 ks of CZTI observations within 5 to 70 ∘ of Crab position in the sky, using a custom algorithm developed by us. Using Crab as our test source, we estimate the off-axis sensitivity of the instrument and establish AstroSat-CZTI as a prospective tool in investigating hard X-ray characteristics of γ -ray pulsars as faint as 10 mCrab.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy
- Pub Date:
- October 2021
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s12036-021-09707-5
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2101.08650
- Bibcode:
- 2021JApA...42...63A
- Keywords:
-
- Pulsars: individual (Crab;
- PSR J0534+2200);
- calibration;
- hard X-ray;
- piggyback data;
- LAT pulsars;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy, 8 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables