Detection of an X-ray Pulsation for the Gamma-ray Pulsar Centered in CTA 1

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Lin, Lupin C C, Huang, Regina H H, Takata, Jumpei, Chorng-Yuan Hwang, Kong, Albert K H, Chung-Yue, Hui
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 09.10.2010
• Subjects: Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope; Gamma rays; Light curve; Neutron stars; Periodic variations; Physics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena; Pulsars; Pulsation; Space telescopes; Stellar age; Supernova remnants; Thermal emission; X-rays; XMM (spacecraft)
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1010.1354

We report the detection of X-ray pulsations with a period of ~315.87 ms from the 2009 XMM-Newton observation for the radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar, LAT PSR J0007+7303, centered in the supernova remnant CTA 1. The detected pulsed period is consistent with the gamma-ray periodicity at the same epoch found with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The broader sinusoidal structure in the folded light curve of the X-ray emission is dissimilar to that of the gamma-ray emission, and the phase of the peak is about 0.5 shifting from the peak in the gamma-ray bands, indicating that the main component of the X-rays originates from different sites of the pulsar. We conclude that the main component of the X-ray pulsation is contributed by the thermal emission from the neutron star. Although with a significantly different characteristic age, PSR~J0007+7303 is similar to Geminga in emission properties of X-rays and gamma-rays; this makes PSR J0007+7303 the second radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar with detected X-ray pulsations after Geminga.