The X-ray-emitting trail of the nearby pulsar PSR1929 + 10
The X-ray-emitting trail of the nearby pulsar PSR1929 + 10
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DOI：
10.1038/364127a0
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发表时间：
1993-07
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Q. D. Wang;Zhi-Yun Li;M. Begelman
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Q. D. Wang;Zhi-Yun Li;M. Begelman
脉冲星--快速旋转、高度磁化的中子星--被认为通过发射相对论粒子而失去旋转能量1，2。由于脉冲星的典型寿命远远超过它诞生时超新星爆炸的残余物，来自较老脉冲星的相对论风应该直接与星际介质相互作用；这可能会产生可观察到的脉冲风星云3。在这里，我们报道了由X射线卫星Rosat探测到的另一种星云，它与附近的脉冲星PSR1929+10有关。该星云呈现出与脉冲星本身运动方向相反的线性漫射X射线特征。在这种情况下，脉冲星风似乎受到脉冲星通过星际介质的高速产生的冲压的限制，导致了具有增强的同步辐射发射的相对论电子的轨迹。许多这样的星云可能存在于太阳附近，但它们将很难被发现，除非在相对罕见的情况下，轨迹几乎指向我们。
PULSARS—rapidly spinning, highly magnetized neutron stars—are thought to lose their rotational energy through the emission of relativistic particles1,2. As the typical lifetime of a pulsar greatly exceeds that of the remnant of the supernova explosion in which it was born, the relativistic wind from older pulsars should interact directly with the interstellar medium; this can give rise to observable pulsar-wind nebulae3. Here we report the detection by the X-ray satellite Rosat of a different type of nebula, associated with the nearby pulsar PSR1929 + 10. The nebula appears as a linear diffuse X-ray feature in the direction opposite to the pulsar's proper motion. In this case, the pulsar wind appears to be confined by the ram-pressure arising from the high velocity of the pulsar through the interstellar medium, resulting in a trail of relativistic electrons with enhanced emissions of synchrotron radiation. Many such nebulae may exist in the solar neighbourhood, but they will be difficult to detect except in those relatively rare cases where the trails point nearly towards us.