Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-15-2023
Department
Department of Physics
Abstract
Extended very-high-energy (VHE; 0.1-100 TeV) γ-ray emission has been observed around several middle-aged pulsars and referred to as “TeV halos.” Their formation mechanism remains under debate. It is also unknown whether they are ubiquitous or related to a certain subgroup of pulsars. With 2321 days of observation, the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory detected VHE γ-ray emission at the location of the radio-quiet pulsar PSR J0359+5414 with >6σ significance. By performing likelihood tests with different spectral and spatial models and comparing the TeV spectrum with multiwavelength observations of nearby sources, we show that this excess is consistent with a TeV halo associated with PSR J0359+5414, though future observation of HAWC and multiwavelength follow-ups are needed to confirm this nature. This new halo candidate is located in a noncrowded region in the outer galaxy. It shares similar properties to the other halos but its pulsar is younger and radio-quiet. Our observation implies that TeV halos could commonly exist around pulsars and their formation does not depend on the configuration of the pulsar magnetosphere.
Publication Title
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Recommended Citation
Albert, A.,
Alfaro, R.,
Arteaga-Velázquez, J.,
Ayala Solares, H.,
Belmont-Moreno, E.,
Capistrán, T.,
Carramiñana, A.,
Casanova, S.,
Cotzomi, J.,
De León, S.,
Fuente, E.,
de León, C.,
Diaz Hernandez, R.,
DuVernois, M.,
Díaz-Vélez, J.,
Espinoza, C.,
Fan, K.,
Fraija, N.,
Fang, K.,
García-González, J.,
Garfias, F.,
Jardin-Blicq, A.,
González, M.,
Goodman, J.,
Harding, J.,
Hernandez, S.,
Huang, D.,
Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, F.,
Hüntemeyer, P.,
Iriarte, A.,
Joshi, V.,
&
et. al.
(2023).
HAWC Detection of a TeV Halo Candidate Surrounding a Radio-quiet Pulsar.
Astrophysical Journal Letters,
944(2).
http://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acb5ee
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/16889
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Version
Publisher's PDF
Publisher's Statement
© 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acb5ee