D.-S. Moon et al 2004 ApJ 610 L33 doi:10.1086/423238
D.-S. Moon1,2,3, J.-J. Lee4, S. S. Eikenberry3,5, B.-C. Koo4, S. Chatterjee3,6, D. L. Kaplan7, J. J. Hester8, J. M. Cordes3, Y. A. Gallant9,10 and L. Koch-Miramond10
Show affiliationsThe radio pulsar PSR B1951+32 and the supernova remnant CTB 80 provide a rich laboratory for the study of neutron stars and supernova remnants. Here, we present ground-based optical and near-infrared observations of them, along with X-ray observations with Chandra and a reanalysis of archival data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. The X-ray observations reveal a cometary pulsar wind nebula that appears to be confined by a bow shock produced by the high-velocity motion of the pulsar, making PSR B1951+32 a rare pulsar exhibiting both an Hα bow shock and a shocked X-ray pulsar wind nebula. The distribution of Hα and radio continuum emission is indicative of a contact discontinuity of the shocked pulsar winds and shocked ambient medium at ~0.05 pc. On the other hand, the optical synchrotron knot of PSR B1951+32 likely has a flat spectrum in the optical and near-infrared wave bands, and our astrometry is consistent with only one of the two reported optical counterpart candidates for the pulsar.
pulsars: individual (PSR B1951+32); shock waves; stars: neutron; supernova remnants
Issue 1 (2004 July 20)
Received 2003 December 30, accepted for publication 2004 June 10
Published 2004 June 22
D.-S. Moon et al 2004 ApJ 610 L33
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