Upper limits for pulsars with MAGIC (2005/2006 observations)

TL;DR

This paper reports on the MAGIC telescope's search for high-energy gamma-ray emission from pulsars in 2005-2006, setting upper limits and discussing implications despite no detections.

Contribution

First to set upper limits for pulsars at energies above 25 GeV using MAGIC observations from 2005-2006.

Findings

No pulsed gamma-ray emission detected from observed pulsars.

Established upper limits for gamma-ray flux from specific pulsars.

Discussed physics implications of the non-detections.

Abstract

During the last 4 years the MAGIC collaboration has searched for high-energy gamma-ray emission of some of the most promising pulsar candidates. The low energy threshold of MAGIC offered the opportunity for a high sensitivity search just above 50-100 GeV (since 2008 a new trigger system has decreased the energy threshold to 25 GeV), an energy region up to now not reachable to ground based instruments and past satellite borne detectors. No pulsed gamma-ray emission has been detected from any pulsar observed during the observation campaigns of 2005-2006. Here we present the upper limits obtained for tow canonical pulsars (PSR J0205+6449 and PSR J2229+6114) and their host nebulae (3C 58 and Boomerang, respectively) and the millisecond pulsar PSR J0218+4232. Physics implications will be discussed.