Constraining the Evolutionary Fate of Central Compact Objects: "Old" Radio Pulsars in Supernova Remnants

Abstract

Central compact objects (CCOs) constitute a population of radio-quiet, slowly-spinning ($\ge$100 ms) young neutron stars with anomalously high thermal X-ray luminosities. Their spin-down properties imply weak dipole magnetic fields ($\sim$$10^{10-11}$ G) and characteristic ages much greater than the ages of their host supernova remnants (SNRs). However, CCOs may possess strong "hidden" internal magnetic fields that may re-emerge on timescales $\gtrsim$10 kyr, with the neutron star possibly activating as a radio pulsar in the process. This suggests that the immediate descendants of CCOs may be masquerading as slowly spinning "old" radio pulsars. We present an X-ray survey of all ordinary radio pulsars within 6 kpc that are positionally coincident with Galactic SNRs in order to test the possible connection between the supposedly old, but possibly very young pulsars, and the SNRs. None of the targets exhibits anomalously high thermal X-ray luminosity, suggesting that they are genuine old ordinary pulsars unrelated to the superposed SNRs. This implies that CCOs are either latent radio pulsars that activate long after their SNRs dissipate or they remain permanently radio-quiet. The true descendants of CCOs remain at large.

arXiv comment5 pages, 1 figure; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (26)

• The ATNF Pulsar Catalogue
• The ATNF Pulsar Catalogue
• Radioactive 26Al and massive stars in the Galaxy
• Birth and Evolution of Isolated Radio Pulsars
• The Parkes multibeam pulsar survey: VI. Discovery and timing of 142 pulsars and a Galactic population analysis
• NE2001.I. A New Model for the Galactic Distribution of Free Electrons and its Fluctuations
• Unifying the observational diversity of isolated neutron stars via magneto-thermal evolution models
• The Parkes multibeam pulsar survey: IV. Discovery of 180 pulsars and parameters for 281 previously known pulsars
• Spin-down Measurement of PSR J1852+0040 in Kesteven 79: Central Compact Objects as Anti-Magnetars
• The Spin-down of PSR J0821-4300 and PSR J1210-5226: Confirmation of Central Compact Objects as Anti-Magnetars
• Evolution of a buried magnetic field in the central compact object neutron stars
• The Correlation between Dispersion Measure and X-ray Column Density from Radio Pulsars
• CCOs and the hidden magnetic field scenario
• Initial spin periods of neutron stars in supernova remnants
• Pulsar Timing at Urumqi Astronomical Observatory: Observing System and Results
• A Wide-area VLA Continuum Survey near the Galactic Center at 6 and 20 cm Wavelengths
• Chandra pulsar survey (ChaPS)
• X-ray Timing of PSR J1852+0040 in Kesteven 79: Evidence of Neutron Stars Weakly Magnetized at Birth
• Modeling the Surface X-ray Emission and Viewing Geometry of PSR J0821-4300 in Puppis A
• Modeling the X-rays from the Central Compact Object PSR J1852+0040 in Kesteven 79: Evidence for a Strongly Magnetized Neutron Star
• Timing measurements and proper motions of 74 pulsars using the Nanshan radio telescope
• X-ray Measurement of the Spin-Down of Calvera: a Radio- and Gamma-ray-Quiet Pulsar
• Non-detection of a pulsar-powered nebula in Puppis A, and implications for the nature of the radio-quiet neutron star RX J0822-4300
• A New ASCA and ROSAT Study of the Supernova Remnant: G272.2-3.2
• On the origin of LS 5039 and PSR J1825-1446
• X-ray Observations of Disrupted Recycled Pulsars: No Refuge for Orphaned Central Compact Objects

Cited by in corpus (16)

• Central Compact Objects in Supernova Remnants
• Magnetic field growth in young glitching pulsars with a braking index
• Are pulsars born with a hidden magnetic field?
• Post fall-back evolution of multipolar magnetic fields and radio pulsar activation
• Powering Central Compact Objects with a Tangled Crustal Magnetic Field
• X-ray bounds on cooling, composition, and magnetic field of the Cassiopeia A neutron star and young central compact objects
• 3D Magneto-thermal Simulations of Tangled Crustal Magnetic Field in Central Compact Objects
• Hunting for Orphaned Central Compact Objects among Radio Pulsars
• X-ray and Rotational Luminosity Correlation and Magnetic Heating of the Radio Pulsars
• Magnetic Field Evolution in Neutron Star Crusts: Beyond the Hall Effect
• MeerTRAP: Twelve Galactic fast transients detected in a real-time, commensal MeerKAT survey
• New XMM-Newton observation of the thermally emitting isolated neutron star 2XMM J104608.7-594306
• Central compact objects in Kes 79 and RCW 103 as "hidden" magnetars with crustal activity
• On the new braking index of PSR B0540-69: further support for magnetic field growth of neutron stars following submergence by fallback accretion
• The First Glitch in a Central Compact Object Pulsar: 1E 1207.4-5209
• A high-magnetic-field radio pulsar survey with Swift/XRT