UVOIR spectrum, X-ray emission, and proper motion of the isolated neutron star RX J2143.0+0654

TL;DR

This study presents multi-wavelength observations of the isolated neutron star RX J2143.0+0654, revealing its thermal and non-thermal emission components, proper motion, and possible surrounding extended emission, consistent with a nearby, middle-aged neutron star.

Contribution

First combined UVOIR and X-ray spectral analysis of RX J2143.0+0654, providing detailed thermal and non-thermal emission parameters and proper motion measurement.

Findings

UV spectrum consistent with thermal Rayleigh-Jeans tail

Detection of a power-law component in optical/NIR spectrum

Proper motion indicating a birth near the solar system approximately 0.5 Myr ago

Abstract

We observed the isolated neutron star RX J2143.0+0654 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the UVOIR wavelength range (0.14-1.7 $\mu$m). The UV part is consistent with a Rayleigh-Jeans tail of a thermal spectrum, $f_\nu\propto \nu^2$, while a power-law spectrum, $f_\nu \propto \nu^\alpha$ with $\alpha \sim -0.8$, dominates in the NIR-optical. A joint fit of the UVOIR and contemporaneous X-ray spectra with a two-component blackbody with possible absorption features + power-law optical spectrum yields the following temperature and apparent radius of the colder component (which gives the main contribution in the UV): $kT_{\rm cold}\approx 45$ eV, $R_{\rm cold}\approx 6 d_{260}$ km, where $d_{260}$ is the distance in units of 260 pc. The temperature and radius of the hotter component, $kT_{\rm hot}\approx 106$ eV and $R_{\rm hot} \approx 1.5d_{260}$ km, the parameters of an absorption feature at 0.74 keV, and the properties of X-ray pulsations, are the same as found in previous X-ray observations. In the NIR images the neutron star is possibly surrounded by extended emission with a characteristic size of $\sim 2''$ and flux densities of about 1.7 and 0.9 $\mu$Jy at 1.54 and 1.15 $\mu$m, respectively. Comparison with a previous HST observation in the optical 14 years ago shows a proper motion $\mu\approx 6$ mas yr$^{-1}$, which corresponds to a small transverse velocity of $7d_{260}$ km s$^{-1}$. It is consistent with the hypothesis that the neutron star was born in the vicinity of the solar system about 0.5 Myr ago.