Hard diffuse X-ray emission around the PSR\,J2032+4127: A pulsar wind nebula in the Cygnus\,OB2 association

TL;DR

This study reports the detection of hard diffuse X-ray emission around pulsar PSR J2032+4127 in Cygnus OB2, identifying it as a pulsar wind nebula likely resulting from a past supernova explosion.

Contribution

First identification of a pulsar wind nebula in hard X-ray emission associated with PSR J2032+4127 in Cygnus OB2.

Findings

Hard X-ray diffuse emission is spatially coincident with the pulsar.

The emission has a torus-shaped, jet-like structure.

The nebula is likely a remnant of a past supernova explosion.

Abstract

The Cygnus\,OB2 region, $\sim 3.5-5~\text{Myr}$ old, contains one of the most significant populations of massive stars of the Milky Way. Such stars substantially contribute to producing large scale soft ($<2~\text{keV}$) diffuse X-ray emission. We also detected hard ($>3~\text{keV}$) diffuse X-ray emission in the direction of the pulsar PSR\,J2032+4127. The torus-shaped emission spans a $\approx 3'\times 2'$ jet-like structure. It is spatially coincident with the Fermi $\gamma$-ray source 4FGL\,J2032.3+4127. We suggest that the hard diffuse X-ray emission is the pulsar wind nebula bearing the pulsar PSR\,J2032+4127, a consequence of a past core-collapse SN explosion in the region.