The nature of UHE source 1LHAASO J1740+0948u and its connection to PSR J1740+1000

TL;DR

This study investigates the origin of ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma-ray emission from 1LHAASO J1740+0948u, linking it to the pulsar PSR J1740+1000 through multi-wavelength analysis and exploring particle acceleration mechanisms.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed multi-wavelength analysis connecting the UHE source to a specific pulsar and discusses novel scenarios for particle acceleration and transport in this context.

Findings

Pulsar PSR J1740+1000 is the most likely particle accelerator.

The UHE source is about 5 pc from the pulsar, requiring rapid electron transport.

Standard pulsar theory faces challenges explaining the observed features.

Abstract

We present multi-wavelength analysis of 1LHAASO J1740+0948u and its surroundings including the pulsar wind nebula of middle-aged pulsar PSR J1740+1000. Although a dozen X-ray sources are found within the UHE emission site, careful analysis shows that they are unlikely to produce the observed UHE emission. The most likely particle accelerator is pulsar J1740+1000 which if offset by 13' north of the UHE source but appears to be connected to it by an extended feature seen in X-rays. For a plausible pulsar distance of 1.2 kpc, 1LHAASO J1740+0948u must be located about 5 pc away which requires rapid transport of electrons along the feature to avoid radiative losses. This poses several challenges for standard pulsar theory. Firstly, being produced $\lesssim$ 10 kyrs ago, particles must have been accelerated to the energy corresponding to a large fraction of the pulsar's full potential drop across the polar cap. Secondly, due to the lack of TeV emission extension toward the pulsar, particles must be accumulating in the UHE region. In this context, we discuss two possible scenarios: a tail filled with pulsar wind and confined by the bow-shock due to the fast pulsar's motion and an ISM filament filled by the most energetic pulsar wind particles escaping from the apex of the bow-shock.