PSR J0007+7303 in the CTA1 SNR: New Gamma-ray Results from Two Years of Fermi-LAT Observations

TL;DR

This paper reports two years of Fermi-LAT gamma-ray observations of PSR J0007+7303, revealing off-pulse emission, detailed spectral properties, and modeling of the pulsar's gamma-ray light curve to understand its emission geometry.

Contribution

It provides new gamma-ray measurements of PSR J0007+7303, including off-pulse emission detection and modeling of the pulsar's emission geometry using high-altitude models.

Findings

Detection of off-pulse gamma-ray emission at 6σ significance.

Pulsed gamma-ray flux characterized by an exponential cutoff at 4.04 GeV.

No flux variability observed during the 2009 May glitch.

Abstract

One of the main results of the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope is the discovery of {\gamma}-ray selected pulsars. The high magnetic field pulsar, PSR J0007+7303 in CTA1, was the first ever to be discovered through its {\gamma}-ray pulsations. Based on analysis of 2 years of LAT survey data, we report on the discovery of {\gamma}-ray emission in the off-pulse phase interval at the ~ 6{\sigma} level. The flux from this emission in the energy range E \geq 100 MeV is F_100 = (1.73\pm0.40)\times10^(-8) photons/cm^2/s and is best fitted by a power law with a photon index of {\Gamma} = 2.54\pm0.14. The pulsed {\gamma}-ray flux in the same energy range is F_100 = (3.95\pm0.07)\times10^(-7) photons/cm^2/s and is best fitted by an exponentially-cutoff power-law spectrum with a photon index of {\Gamma} = 1.41 \pm 0.23 and a cutoff energy E_c = 4.04 \pm 0.20 GeV. We find no flux variability neither at the 2009 May glitch nor in the long term behavior. We model the {\gamma}-ray light curve with two high-altitude emission models, the outer gap and slot gap, and find that the model that best fits the data depends strongly on the assumed origin of the off-pulse emission. Both models favor a large angle between the magnetic axis and observer line of sight, consistent with the nondetection of radio emission being a geometrical effect. Finally we discuss how the LAT results bear on the understanding of the cooling of this neutron star.