The Extended X-ray Nebula of PSR J1420-6048

TL;DR

This paper presents Suzaku and XMM Newton observations of the extended X-ray nebula around pulsar PSR J1420-6048, revealing its structure, environment, and spectral energy distribution to understand its evolution and relation to gamma-ray sources.

Contribution

It provides new high-resolution X-ray mapping and spectral analysis of the nebula, offering insights into its morphology, environment, and evolution, which were not previously detailed.

Findings

The nebula extends about 8 arcminutes north of the pulsar.

Spectral energy distribution modeling suggests specific properties of the ambient medium.

Evidence points to the pulsar's birthsite being north of its current position.

Abstract

The vicinity of the unidentified EGRET source 3EG J1420-6038 has undergone extensive study in the search for counterparts, revealing the energetic young pulsar PSR J1420-6048 and its surrounding wind nebula as a likely candidate for at least part of the emission from this bright and extended gamma-ray source. We report on new Suzaku observations of PSR J1420-6048, along with analysis of archival XMM Newton data. The low background of Suzaku permits mapping of the extended X-ray nebula, indicating a tail stretching ~8' north of the pulsar. The X-ray data, along with archival radio and VHE data, hint at a pulsar birthsite to the North, and yield insights into its evolution and the properties of the ambient medium. We further explore such properties by modeling the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the extended nebula.