A Magnetar-like Outburst from a High-B Radio Pulsar

Aug 2, 2016
6 pages
Published in:
  • Astrophys.J.Lett. 829 (2016) 1, L21
  • Published: Sep 22, 2016
e-Print:

Citations per year

20162018202020222024051015
Abstract: (IOP)
Radio pulsars are believed to have their emission powered by the loss of rotational kinetic energy. By contrast, magnetars show intense X-ray and γ-ray radiation whose luminosity greatly exceeds that due to spin down and magnetar luminosity is believed to be powered by intense internal magnetic fields. A basic prediction of this picture is that radio pulsars of high magnetic field should show magnetar-like emission. Here we report on a magnetar-like X-ray outburst from the radio pulsar PSR J1119–6127, heralded by two short bright X-ray bursts on 2016 July 27 and 28. Using target of opportunity data from the Swift X-ray Telescope and NuSTAR, we show that this pulsar’s flux has brightened by a factor of >160\gt 160 in the 0.5–10 keV band, and that its previously soft X-ray spectrum has undergone a strong hardening with strong pulsations appearing for the first time above 2.5 keV, with phase-averaged emission detectable up to 25 keV. By comparing Swift-XRT and NuSTAR timing data with a pre-outburst ephemeris derived from Fermi Large Area Telescope data, we find that the source has contemporaneously undergone a large spin-up glitch of amplitude Δν/ν=5.74(8)×106{\rm{\Delta }}\nu /\nu =5.74(8)\times {10}^{-6}. The collection of phenomena observed thus far in this outburst strongly mirrors those in most magnetar outbursts and provides an unambiguous connection between the radio pulsar and magnetar populations.
Note:
  • 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted to ApJL
  • pulsars: general
  • pulsars: individual
  • stars: magnetars