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.

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

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• Central Compact Objects in Supernova Remnants
• Magnetic field growth in young glitching pulsars with a braking index
• Post fall-back evolution of multipolar magnetic fields and radio pulsar activation
• Powering Central Compact Objects with a Tangled Crustal Magnetic Field
• 3D Magneto-thermal Simulations of Tangled Crustal Magnetic Field in Central Compact Objects
• X-ray bounds on cooling, composition, and magnetic field of the Cassiopeia A neutron star and young central compact objects
• 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
• Central compact objects in Kes 79 and RCW 103 as "hidden" magnetars with crustal activity
• A high-magnetic-field radio pulsar survey with Swift/XRT