Is IGR J11014-6103 a Pulsar with the Highest Known Kick Velocity?

TL;DR

This study suggests IGR J11014-6103 is a pulsar with an exceptionally high velocity, potentially the highest known, based on X-ray and radio observations indicating a bow shock and inferred supernova origin.

Contribution

The paper provides evidence that IGR J11014-6103 may have an unprecedentedly high kick velocity, surpassing all known pulsars, based on multi-wavelength observations and supernova remnant association.

Findings

Estimated velocity of 2,400-2,900 km/s for IGR J11014-6103.

Evidence of a bow shock indicating pulsar motion.

No radio pulsations detected despite deep search.

Abstract

We report on Chandra X-ray and Parkes radio observations of IGR J11014-6103, which is a possible pulsar wind nebula with a complex X-ray morphology and a likely radio counterpart. With the superb angular resolution of Chandra, we find evidence that a portion of the extended emission may be related to a bow shock due to the putative pulsar moving through the interstellar medium. The inferred direction of motion is consistent with IGR J11014-6103 having been born in the event that produced the supernova remnant (SNR) MSH 11-61A. If this association is correct, then previous constraints on the expansion of MSH 11-61A imply a transverse velocity for IGR J11014-6103 of 2,400-2,900 km/s, depending on the SNR model used. This would surpass the kick velocities of any known pulsars and rival or surpass the velocities of any compact objects that are associated with SNRs. While it is important to confirm the nature of the source, our radio pulsation search did not yield a detection.