Bow-shock Pulsar Wind Nebulae Passing Through Density Discontinuities

Abstract

Bow-shock pulsar wind nebulae are a subset of pulsar wind nebulae that form when the pulsar has high velocity due to the natal kick during the supernova explosion. The interaction between the relativistic wind from the fast-moving pulsar and the interstellar medium produces a bow-shock and a trail, which are detectable in H${}_{\alpha }$ emission. Among such bow-shock pulsar wind nebulae, the Guitar Nebula stands out for its peculiar morphology, which consists of a prominent bow-shock head and a series of bubbles further behind. We present a scenario in which multiple bubbles can be produced when the pulsar encounters a series of density discontinuities in the ISM. We tested the scenario using 2-D and 3-D hydrodynamic simulations. The shape of the guitar nebula can be reproduced if the pulsar traversed a region of declining low density. We also show that if a pulsar encounters an inclined density discontinuity, it produces an asymmetric bow-shock head, consistent with observations of the bow-shock of the millisecond pulsar J2124-3358.

arXiv comment12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• Pulsar wind nebulae with bow shocks: non-thermal radiation and cosmic ray leptons
• An In Situ Study of Turbulence Near Stellar Bow Shocks
• Non-thermal radiation from a pulsar wind interacting with an inhomogeneous stellar wind
• Modelling the bow shock Pulsar Wind Nebulae propagating through a non-uniform ISM
• A NuSTAR and Chandra Investigation of the Misaligned Outflow of PSR J1101-6101 and the Lighthouse Pulsar Wind Nebula
• Numerical simulations of mass loading in the tails of Bow Shock Pulsar Wind Nebulae
• Fast as Potoroo: Radio Continuum Detection of a Bow-Shock Pulsar Wind Nebula Powered by Pulsar J1638-4713
• Resolving the bow shock and tail of the cannonball pulsar PSR J0002+6216
• Fast moving pulsars as probes of interstellar medium
• From outburst to quiescence: spectroscopic evolution of V1838 Aql imbedded in a bow-shock nebula
• A runaway T-Tauri star leaving an extended trail