Polarized gamma-ray emission from the Crab
Polarized gamma-ray emission from the Crab
Pulsar systems accelerate particles to immense energies. The detailed functioning of these engines is still poorly understood, but polarization measurements of high-energy radiation may allow us to locate where the particles are accelerated. We have detected polarized gamma rays from the vicinity of the Crab pulsar using data from the spectrometer on the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory satellite. Our results show polarization with an electric vector aligned with the spin axis of the neutron star, demonstrating that a substantial fraction of the high-energy electrons responsible for the polarized photons are produced in a highly ordered structure close to the pulsar.
1183-1185
Dean, A.J.
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Clark, D.J.
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Stephen, J.B.
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McBride, V.A.
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Bassani, L.
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Bazzano, A.
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Bird, A.J.
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Hill, A.B.
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Shaw, S.E.
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Ubertini, P.
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29 August 2008
Dean, A.J.
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Clark, D.J.
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Stephen, J.B.
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McBride, V.A.
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Bassani, L.
07e5602c-f97e-4334-a0fa-c2212431a61a
Bazzano, A.
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Bird, A.J.
045ee141-4720-46fd-a412-5aa848a91b32
Hill, A.B.
b1007941-b5b1-47cd-8476-7c6b9c57f347
Shaw, S.E.
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Ubertini, P.
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Dean, A.J., Clark, D.J., Stephen, J.B., McBride, V.A., Bassani, L., Bazzano, A., Bird, A.J., Hill, A.B., Shaw, S.E. and Ubertini, P.
(2008)
Polarized gamma-ray emission from the Crab.
Science, 321 (5893), .
(doi:10.1126/science.1149056).
Abstract
Pulsar systems accelerate particles to immense energies. The detailed functioning of these engines is still poorly understood, but polarization measurements of high-energy radiation may allow us to locate where the particles are accelerated. We have detected polarized gamma rays from the vicinity of the Crab pulsar using data from the spectrometer on the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory satellite. Our results show polarization with an electric vector aligned with the spin axis of the neutron star, demonstrating that a substantial fraction of the high-energy electrons responsible for the polarized photons are produced in a highly ordered structure close to the pulsar.
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Published date: 29 August 2008
Organisations:
Astronomy and Space Science
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 144805
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/144805
ISSN: 0036-8075
PURE UUID: 26098052-f243-4e4b-8231-5b17d2a02330
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Date deposited: 24 May 2010 10:37
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:48
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Contributors
Author:
A.J. Dean
Author:
D.J. Clark
Author:
J.B. Stephen
Author:
V.A. McBride
Author:
L. Bassani
Author:
A. Bazzano
Author:
A.B. Hill
Author:
S.E. Shaw
Author:
P. Ubertini
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