A new interesting source in Chandra field: a pulsar wind nebula?

TL;DR

This paper reports the detection and analysis of a potential pulsar wind nebula associated with a point X-ray source, suggesting it could be a pulsar with an X-ray tail, contributing to the understanding of such sources in the Chandra field.

Contribution

It presents the first detailed spatial, spectral, and timing analysis of CXO J172337.5-373442, proposing its identification as a pulsar wind nebula candidate based on X-ray and optical data.

Findings

Detected a point source with a 48" X-ray tail in Chandra data.

Spectral analysis shows the source and tail fit absorbed powerlaw models.

Data favor the source being a pulsar with a pulsar wind nebula.

Abstract

We report the detection of a point source CXO J172337.5-373442 in a Chandra field with a high significance (26.7 sigma), and the discovery (4 sigma) of a 48" long X-ray tail emanating from the point source. The X-ray spectra of both the point source and the tail are well described with a single absorbed powerlaw, and the tail is harder (powerlaw index Gamma = 0.14^{+0.59}_{-0.68}) than the point source (Gamma = 1.78^{+0.13}_{-0.11}). From this first detailed spatial, spectral and timing X-ray analysis of CXO J172337.5-373442, and from a plausible optical counterpart found from the archives, we conclude that this source is either a Galactic High-Mass X-ray Binary with an X-ray jet or a Galactic pulsar with its "pulsar wind nebula" seen as the X-ray tail. Although, the currently available data are not enough to distinguish between these two candidates with certainty, a detailed comparison of their known properties with those of CXO J172337.5-373442 favours the latter type. If this identification is correct, then the pulsar should be middle-aged or old, that has escaped from its supernova remnant, and the X-ray tail should originate from the synchrotron emission from either of the following locations: (1) a shocked region, or (2) a jet emanating from the pulsar's magnetosphere.