THE VELA PULSAR: RESULTS FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF FERMI LAT OBSERVATIONS

Abdo AA, Ackermann M, Ajello M, Allafort A, Atwood WB, Baldini L, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Baring MG, Bastieri D, Baughman BM, Bechtol K, Bellazzini R, Berenji B, Blandford D, Bloom ED, Bonamente E, Borgland AW, Bouvier A, Bregeon J, Brez A, Brigida M, Bruel P, Burnett TH, Buson S, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Caraveo PA, Carrigan S, Casandjian JM, Cecchi C, Celik O, Chekhtman A, Cheung CC, Chiang J, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cohen-Tanugi J, Conrad J, Dermer CD, De Luca A, De Palma F, Dormody M, Do Couto E Silva E, Drell PS, Dubois R, Dumora D, Farnier C, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Focke WB, Fortin P, Frailis M, Fukazawa Y, Funk S, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Gehrels N, Germani S, Giavitto G, Giebels B, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grondin MH, Grove JE, Guillemot L, Guiriec S, Hadasch D, Harding AK, Hays E, Hobbs G, Horan D, Hughes RE, Jackson MS, Johannesson G, Johnson AS, Johnson TJ, Johnson WN, Kamae T, Katagiri H, Kataoka J, Kawai N, Kerr M, Knoedlseder J, Kuss MW, Lande J, Latronico L, Lee SH, Lemoine-Goumard M, Garde ML, Longo F, Loparco F, Lott B, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Makeev A, Manchester RN, Marelli M, Mazziotta MN, Mcconville W, Mcenery JE, Mcglynn S, Meurer C, Michelson PF, Mitthumsiri W, Mizuno T, Moiseev AA, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Nakamori T, Nolan PL, Norris JP, Noutsos A, Nuss E, Ohsugi T, Omodei N, Orlando E, Ormes JF, Ozaki M, Paneque D, Panetta JH, Parent D, Pelassa V, Pepe M, Pesce-Rollins M, Pierbattista M, Piron F, Porter TA, Raino S, Rando R, Ray PS, Razzano M, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reposeur T, Ritz S, Rochester LS, Rodriguez AY, Romani RW, Roth M, Ryde F, Sadrozinski HFW, Sander A, Parkinson PMS, Sgro C, Siskind EJ, Smith DA, Smith PD, Spandre G, Spinelli P, Starck JL, Strickman MS, Suson DJ, Takahashi HH, Takahashi T, Tanaka T, Thayer JB, Thayer JG, Thompson DJ, Tibaldo L, Torres DF, Tosti G, Tramacere A, Usher TL, Van Etten A, Vasileiou V, Venter C, Vilchez N, Vitale V, Waite AP, Wang P, Watters K, Weltevrede P, Winer BL, Wood KS, Ylinen T, Ziegler M (2010)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2010

Journal

Book Volume: 713

Pages Range: 154-165

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/713/1/154

Abstract

We report on analysis of timing and spectroscopy of the Vela pulsar using 11 months of observations with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The intrinsic brightness of Vela at GeV energies combined with the angular resolution and sensitivity of the LAT allows us to make the most detailed study to date of the energy-dependent light curves and phase-resolved spectra, using a LAT-derived timing model. The light curve consists of two peaks (P1 and P2) connected by bridge emission containing a third peak (P3). We have confirmed the strong decrease of the P1/P2 ratio with increasing energy seen with EGRET and previous Fermi LAT data, and observe that P1 disappears above 20 GeV. The increase with energy of the mean phase of the P3 component can be followed with much greater detail, showing that P3 and P2 are present up to the highest energies of pulsation. We find significant pulsed emission at phases outside the main profile, indicating that magnetospheric emission exists over 80% of the pulsar period. With increased high-energy counts the phase-averaged spectrum is seen to depart from a power law with simple exponential cutoff, and is better fit with a more gradual cutoff. The spectra in fixed-count phase bins are well fit with power laws with exponential cutoffs, revealing a strong and complex phase dependence of the cutoff energy, especially in the peaks. By combining these results with predictions of the outer magnetosphere models that map emission characteristics to phase, it will be possible to probe the particle acceleration and the structure of the pulsar magnetosphere with unprecedented detail.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory United States (USA) (US) Stanford University United States (USA) (US) University of California Santa Cruz United States (USA) (US) National Institute for Nuclear Physics / Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) Italy (IT) University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot / Université Paris VII Denis Diderot France (FR) Rice University United States (USA) (US) Ohio State University United States (USA) (US) University of Bari Aldo Moro / Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Italy (IT) École Polytechnique - Université Paris-Saclay France (FR) University of Washington United States (USA) (US) Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC) Spain (ES) National Institute for Astrophysics / Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) Italy (IT) University of Padua / Universita degli Studi di Padova Italy (IT) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) United States (USA) (US) University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier France (FR) Stockholm University / Stockholms universitet Sweden (SE) Istituto Universitario Di Studi Superiori Di Pavia Italy (IT) Université Bordeaux 1, Sciences et Technologies France (FR) University of Udine / Università degli Studi di Udine Italy (IT) Hiroshima University / 広島大学 Japan (JP) Italian Space Agency / Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Italy (IT) University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) United States (USA) (US) Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) / Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies Spain (ES) Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Australia (AU) AlbaNova University Centre / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan AlbaNova Universitetscentrum Sweden (SE) Università degli Studi di Perugia Italy (IT) Waseda University / 早稲田大学 Japan (JP) Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan (JP) Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier France (FR) University of Denver United States (USA) (US) Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie / Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy Germany (DE) Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) / Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Germany (DE) Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) Japan (JP) Noordwes-Universiteit / North-West University South Africa (ZA) University of Manchester United Kingdom (GB) NYCB Real-Time Computing, Inc. United States (USA) (US) Purdue University Northwest / Purdue University Calumet United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Abdo, A.A., Ackermann, M., Ajello, M., Allafort, A., Atwood, W.B., Baldini, L.,... Ziegler, M. (2010). THE VELA PULSAR: RESULTS FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF FERMI LAT OBSERVATIONS. Astrophysical Journal, 713(1), 154-165. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/713/1/154

MLA:

Abdo, A. A., et al. "THE VELA PULSAR: RESULTS FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF FERMI LAT OBSERVATIONS." Astrophysical Journal 713.1 (2010): 154-165.

BibTeX: Download