Pulsed gamma rays from the millisecond pulsar J0030+0451 with the fermi large area telescope

A. A. Abdo, M. Ackermann, W. B. Atwood, M. Axelsson, L. Baldini, J. Ballet, G. Barbiellini, D. Bastieri, M. Battelino, B. M. Baughman, K. Bechtol, R. Bellazzini, B. Berenji, E. D. Bloom, E. Bonamente, A. W. Borgland, J. Bregeon, A. Brez, M. Brigida, P. BruelT. H. Burnett, G. A. Caliandro, R. A. Cameron, P. A. Caraveo, J. M. Casandjian, C. Cecchi, E. Charles, A. Chekhtman, C. C. Cheung, J. Chiang, S. Ciprini, R. Claus, I. Cognard, J. Cohen-Tanugi, L. R. Cominsky, J. Conrad, S. Cutini, C. D. Dermer, A. De Angelis, F. De Palma, S. W. Digel, M. Dormody, E. Do Couto E. Silva, P. S. Drell, R. Dubois, D. Dumora, C. Farnier, C. Favuzzi, W. B. Focke, M. Frailis, Y. Fukazawa, S. Funk, P. Fusco, F. Gargano, D. Gasparrini, N. Gehrels, S. Germani, B. Giebels, N. Giglietto, F. Giordano, T. Glanzman, G. Godfrey, I. A. Grenier, M. H. Grondin, J. E. Grove, L. Guillemot, S. Guiriec, Y. Hanabata, A. K. Harding, M. Hayashida, E. Hays, R. E. Hughes, G. Jóhannesson, A. S. Johnson, R. P. Johnson, T. J. Johnson, W. N. Johnson, T. Kamae, H. Katagiri, J. Kataoka, N. Kawai, M. Kerr, J. Knödlseder, M. L. Kocian, N. Komin, F. Kuehn, M. Kuss, J. Lande, L. Latronico, S. H. Lee, M. Lemoine-Goumard, F. Longo, F. Loparco, B. Lott, M. N. Lovellette, P. Lubrano, G. M. Madejski, A. Makeev, M. Marelli, M. N. Mazziotta, W. McConville, J. E. McEnery, C. Meurer, P. F. Michelson, W. Mitthumsiri, T. Mizuno, A. A. Moiseev, C. Monte, M. E. Monzani, A. Morselli, I. V. Moskalenko, S. Murgia, P. L. Nolan, E. Nuss, T. Ohsugi, N. Omodei, E. Orlando, J. F. Ormes, B. Pancrazi, D. Paneque, J. H. Panetta, D. Parent, M. Pepe, M. Pesce-Rollins, F. Piron, T. A. Porter, S. Rainò, R. Rando, M. Razzano, A. Reimer, O. Reimer, T. Reposeur, S. Ritz, L. S. Rochester, A. Y. Rodriguez, R. W. Romani, F. Ryde, H. F.W. Sadrozinski, D. Sanchez, A. Sander, P. M.Saz Parkinson, C. Sgrò, E. J. Siskind, D. A. Smith, P. D. Smith, G. Spandre, P. Spinelli, J. L. Starck, M. S. Strickman, D. J. Suson, H. Tajima, H. Takahashi, T. Tanaka, J. B. Thayer, J. G. Thayer, G. Theureau, D. J. Thompson, L. Tibaldo, D. F. Torres, G. Tosti, A. Tramacere, Y. Uchiyama, T. L. Usher, A. Van Etten, N. Vilchez, V. Vitale, A. P. Waite, K. Watters, N. Webb, K. S. Wood, T. Ylinen, M. Ziegler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report the discovery of gamma-ray pulsations from the nearby isolated millisecond pulsar (MSP) PSR J0030+0451 with the Large Area Telescope on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (formerly GLAST). This discovery makes PSR J0030+0451 the second MSP to be detected in gamma rays after PSR J0218+4232, observed by the EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. The spin-down power erg s-1 is an order of magnitude lower than the empirical lower bound of previously known gamma-ray pulsars. The emission profile is characterized by two narrow peaks, 0.07 0.01 and 0.08 0.02 wide, respectively, separated by 0.44 0.02 in phase. The first gamma-ray peak falls 0.15 0.01 after the main radio peak. The pulse shape is similar to that of the "normal" gamma-ray pulsars. An exponentially cutoff power-law fit of the emission spectrum leads to an integral photon flux above 100 MeV of (6.76 1.05 1.35) × 10-8 cm-2 s-1 with cutoff energy (1.7 0.4 0.5) GeV. Based on its parallax distance of (300 90) pc, we obtain a gamma-ray efficiency for the conversion of spin-down energy rate into gamma-ray radiation, assuming isotropic emission.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1171-1177
Number of pages7
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume699
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Gamma rays: observations
  • Pulsars: general

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Pulsed gamma rays from the millisecond pulsar J0030+0451 with the fermi large area telescope'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this