Constraining the magnetic field geometry of the millisecond pulsar PSRJ0030+0451 from joint radio, thermal X-ray, and γ-ray emission
Journal article, 2023
Context. With the advent of multi-wavelength electromagnetic observations of neutron stars - spanning many decades in photon energies - from radio wavelengths up to X-rays and γ-rays, it has become possible to significantly constrain the geometry and the location of the associated emission regions. Aims. In this work, we use results from the modelling of thermal X-ray observations of PSR J0030+0451 from the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission and phase-aligned radio and γ-ray pulse profiles to constrain the geometry of an off-centred dipole that is able to reproduce the light curves in these respective bands simultaneously. Methods. To this aim, we deduced a configuration with a simple dipole off-centred from the location of the centre of the thermal X-ray hot spots. We show that the geometry is compatible with independent constraints from radio and -ray pulsations only, leading to a fixed magnetic obliquity of α ≈ 75° and a line-of-sight inclination angle of ζ ≈ 54°. Results. We demonstrate that an off-centred dipole cannot be rejected by accounting for the thermal X-ray pulse profiles. Moreover, the crescent shape of one spot is interpreted as the consequence of a small-scale surface dipole on top of the large-scale off-centred dipole.
magnetic fields
stars
gamma rays
Author
Jérôme A. Pétri
University of Strasbourg
Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Sebastien Guillot
Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Lucas Guillemot
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
University of Orléans
Ismaël Cognard
University of Orléans
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Gilles Theureau
Paris Cité University
University of Orléans
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Jean-Matthias Griessmeier
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
University of Orléans
L. Bondonneau
University of Orléans
Université Paris PSL
Denis González-Caniulef
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)
Natalie A. Webb
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)
Fabian Jankowski
University of Orléans
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Ihor P. Kravtsov
Sorbonne University
institute of Radio Astronomy NAS
J. W. Mckee
University of Hull
Tobia Carozzi
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory
Baptiste Cecconi
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
University of Orléans
Université Paris PSL
MacIej Serylak
University of the Western Cape
THE SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY OBSERVATORY SKAO
Philippe Zarka
Université Paris PSL
Astronomy and Astrophysics
0004-6361 (ISSN) 1432-0746 (eISSN)
Vol. 680Subject Categories
Subatomic Physics
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1051/0004-6361/202346913