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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
A proper motion for the pulsar wind nebula G359.23-0.82, the "mouse," associated with the energetic radio pulsar J1747-2958
Astrophysical Journal, Volume 706, No. 2, Year 2009
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Description
The "Mouse" (PWN G359.23-0.82) is a spectacular bow shock pulsar wind nebula, powered by the radio pulsar J1747-2958. The pulsar and its nebula are presumed to have a high space velocity, but their proper motions have not been directly measured. Here we present 8.5 GHz interferometric observations of the Mouse nebula with the Very Large Array, spanning a time baseline of 12 years. We measure eastward proper motion for PWN G359.23-0.82 (and hence indirectly for PSR J1747-2958) of 12.9 ± 1.8 mas yr-1, which at an assumed distance of 5 kpc corresponds to a transverse space velocity of 306 ± 43 km s-1. Considering pressure balance at the apex of the bow shock, we calculate an in situ hydrogen number density of approximately 1.0+0.4-0.2cm-3 for the interstellar medium through which the system is traveling. A lower age limit for PSR J1747-2958 of 163+28 -20 kyr is calculated by considering its potential birth site. The large discrepancy with the pulsar's spin-down age of 25 kyr is possibly explained by surface dipole magnetic field growth on a timescale ≈ 15 kyr, suggesting possible future evolution of PSR J1747-2958 to a different class of neutron star. We also argue that the adjacent supernova remnant G359.1-0.5 is not physically associated with the Mouse system but is rather an unrelated object along the line of sight. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Hales, Christopher A.
Australia, Sydney
The University of Sydney
Australia, Canberra
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Gaensler, B. M.
Australia, Sydney
The University of Sydney
Chatterjee, S.
Australia, Sydney
The University of Sydney
United States, Ithaca
Cornell University
Camilo, Fernando
United States, New York
Columbia University
Statistics
Citations: 30
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1088/0004-637X/706/2/1316
ISSN:
0004637X