Discovery of a 112 ms X-ray Pulsar in Puppis A: Further Evidence of Neutron Stars Weakly Magnetized at Birth

Abstract

We report the discovery of 112-ms X-ray pulsations from RX J0822-4300, the compact central object (CCO) in the supernova remnant Puppis A, in two archival Newton X-Ray Multi-Mirror Mission observations taken in 2001. The sinusoidal light curve has a pulsed fraction of 11% with an abrupt 180 deg. change in phase at 1.2 keV. The observed phase shift and modulation are likely the result of emission from opposing thermal hot spots of distinct temperatures. Phase-resolved spectra reveal an emission feature at E(line) = 0.8 keV associated with the cooler region, possibly due to an electron cyclotron resonance effect similar to that seen in the spectrum of the CCO pulsar 1E 1207.4-5209. No change in the spin period of PSR J0821-4300 is detected in 7 months, with a 2 sigma upper limit on the period derivative less than 8.3E-15. This implies limits on the spin-down energy loss rate of less than 2.3E35 erg/s, the surface magnetic dipole field strength B_s < 9.8E11 G, and the spin-down age tau > 220 kyr. The latter is much longer than the SNR age, indicating that PSR J0821-4300 was born spinning near its present period. Its properties are remarkably similar to those of the two other known CCO pulsars, demonstrating the existence of a class of neutron stars born with weak magnetic fields related to a slow original spin. These results are also of importance in understanding the extreme transverse velocity of PSR J0821-4300, favoring the hydrodynamic instability mechanism in the supernova explosion.

5 pages, 4 figure, Latex, emulateapj style. To appear in the Astrophysical Journal

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• A dedicated Chandra ACIS observation of the central compact object in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant
• Modeling the X-rays from the Central Compact Object PSR J1852+0040 in Kesteven 79: Evidence for a Strongly Magnetized Neutron Star
• A high resolution HI study towards the supernova remnant Puppis A and its environments
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• Dependence of pulsar death line on the equation of state
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• Detailed X-Ray Mapping of the Shocked Ejecta and Circumstellar Medium in the Galactic Core-Collapse Supernova Remnant G292.0+1.8
• The Proper Motion of the Central Compact Object RX J0822-4300 in the Supernova Remnant Puppis A, Revisited
• Dense Matter in Neutron Stars with eXTP
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• The Origins of X-ray Line Emissions in Circinus~X-1 at Very Low X-ray Flux
• Neutrino luminosities and heat capacities of neutron stars in analytic form
• The nature of the infrared counterpart and of the optical nebula associated with the Central Compact Object in Vela Jr.\
• On the Diversity of Compact Objects within Supernova Remnants II: Energy Loss Mechanisms
• What causes the absence of pulsations in Central Compact Objects in Supernova Remnants?
• TRAPUM search for pulsars in supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae -- I. Survey description and initial discoveries
• Neutron stars: Observational diversity and evolution
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• Measuring the Non-Axially-Symmetric Surface Temperature Distribution of the Central Compact Object in Puppis A
• Pulsed and Polarized X-ray Emission from Neutron Star Surfaces
• Evolution of proto-neutron stars to pulsars, magnetars and central compact objects