The tale of the two tails of the oldish PSR J2055+2539

Abstract

We analyzed a deep {\it XMM-Newton} observation of the radio-quiet $\gamma$-ray PSR J2055+2539. The spectrum of the X-ray counterpart is non-thermal, with a photon index of $\Gamma$=2.36$\pm$0.14 (1$\sigma$ confidence). We detected X-ray pulsations with a pulsed fraction of (25$\pm$3)\% and a sinusoidal shape. Taking into account considerations on the $\gamma$-ray efficiency of the pulsar and on its X-ray spectrum, we can infer a pulsar distance ranging from 450 pc to 750 pc. We found two different nebular features associated to PSR J2055+2539 and protruding from it. The angle between the two nebular main axes is $\sim$ (162.8$\pm$0.7)${}^{\circ }$. The main, brighter feature is 12' long and $<$20" thick, characterized by an asymmetry with respect to the main axis that evolves with the distance from the pulsar, possibly forming a helical pattern. The secondary feature is 250" $\times$ 30". Both nebulae present an almost flat brightness profile with a sudden decrease at the end. The nebulae can be fitted either by a power-law model or a thermal bremsstrahlung model. A plausible interpretation of the brighter nebula is in terms of a collimated ballistic jet. The secondary nebula is most likely a classical synchrotron-emitting tail.

Published in Astrophysical Journal; 38 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables

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Cited by in corpus (12)

• Pulsar wind nebulae with bow shocks: non-thermal radiation and cosmic ray leptons
• Pulsar Wind Nebulae Created by Fast-Moving Pulsars
• Kinetic "jets" from fast moving pulsars
• Spectral characterization of the non-thermal X-ray emission of gamma-ray pulsars
• Chandra Monitoring of the J1809-1917 Pulsar Wind Nebula and Its Field
• A candidate optical counterpart to the middle-aged gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1741-2054
• A NuSTAR and Chandra Investigation of the Misaligned Outflow of PSR J1101-6101 and the Lighthouse Pulsar Wind Nebula
• Multiwavelength observations of PSR J2021+4026 across a mode change reveal a phase shift in its X-ray emission
• A Catalog of Pulsar X-ray Filaments
• Observational connection of non-thermal X-ray emission from pulsars with their timing properties and thermal emission
• The two tails of PSR J2055+2539 as seen by Chandra: analysis of the nebular morphology and pulsar proper motion
• Observations of one young and three middle-aged $\gamma$-ray pulsars with the Gran Telescopio Canarias