XMM-Newton X-ray Observation of the High-Magnetic-Field Radio Pulsar PSR J1734--3333

TL;DR

This study reports the probable X-ray detection of the high-magnetic-field radio pulsar PSR J1734-3333 using XMM-Newton, showing it is X-ray faint with no magnetar activity, and compares its properties with other high-B pulsars.

Contribution

First X-ray detection of PSR J1734-3333, providing data on its luminosity and magnetic field, and a comparative analysis of high-B pulsars' X-ray properties.

Findings

X-ray flux of (5-15)e-15 erg/s/cm^2 in 0.5-2.0 keV band.

X-ray luminosity is below 0.1 times the spin-down luminosity.

No pulsations detected in the X-ray data.

Abstract

Using observations made with the XMM-Newton Observatory, we report the probable X-ray detection of the high-magnetic-field radio pulsar PSR J1734-3333. This pulsar has an inferred surface dipole magnetic field of B = 5.2e13 G, just below that of one anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP). We find that the pulsar has an absorbed 0.5-2.0 keV flux of (5-15)e-15 erg/s/cm^2 and that its X-ray luminosity L_X is well below its spin down luminosity E_dot, with L_X < 0.1E_dot. No pulsations were detected in these data although our derived upper limit is unconstraining. Like most of the other high-B pulsars, PSR J1734-3333 is X-ray faint with no sign of magnetar activity. We collect and tabulate the properties of this and all other known high-B radio pulsars with measured X-ray luminosities or luminosity upper limits and plot L_X versus B for them all.