Cannonball or Bowling Ball: A Proper Motion and Parallax for PSR J0002+6216

TL;DR

This study provides precise astrometric measurements of pulsar J0002+6216, refining its proper motion, distance, and age, which impacts understanding of its origin, environment, and associated supernova remnant.

Contribution

The paper presents the first high-precision proper motion and parallax measurements for PSR J0002+6216, improving estimates of its velocity and age.

Findings

Refined proper motion to 35.3±0.6 mas/yr

Increased pulsar age to approximately 47.6 kyr

Lowered velocity consistent with natal kick models

Abstract

We report the results of careful astrometric measurements of the Cannonball pulsar J0002+6216 carried out over three years using the High Sensitivity Array (HSA). We significantly refine the proper motion to $\mu=35.3\pm0.6$ mas yr$^{-1}$ and place new constraints on the distance, with the overall effect of lowering the velocity and increasing the inferred age to $47.60\pm0.80$ kyr. Although the pulsar is brought more in line with the standard natal kick distribution, this new velocity has implications for the morphology of the pulsar wind nebula that surrounds it, the density of the interstellar medium through which it travels, and the age of the supernova remnant (CTB 1) from which it originates.