The Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope discovers the Pulsar in the Young Galactic Supernova-Remnant CTA 1

TL;DR

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope discovered a young, radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar within the supernova remnant CTA 1, providing insights into the remnants of massive star explosions and their associated neutron stars.

Contribution

This paper reports the first detection of a gamma-ray pulsar in CTA 1, revealing a young pulsar with specific timing properties and linking gamma-ray sources to supernova remnants.

Findings

Discovered a gamma-ray pulsar with a 316.86 ms period

Pulsar's characteristic age matches the supernova remnant age

Most unidentified gamma-ray sources may be young pulsars

Abstract

Energetic young pulsars and expanding blast waves (supernova remnants, SNRs) are the most visible remains after massive stars, ending their lives, explode in core-collapse supernovae. The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has unveiled a radio quiet pulsar located near the center of the compact synchrotron nebula inside the supernova remnant CTA 1. The pulsar, discovered through its gamma-ray pulsations, has a period of 316.86 ms, a period derivative of 3.614 x 10-13 s s-1 . Its characteristic age of 104 years is comparable to that estimated for the SNR. It is conjectured that most unidentified Galactic gamma ray sources associated with star-forming regions and SNRs are such young pulsars.