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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.17046 |
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| _version_ | 1866915761422860288 |
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| author | Niu, Shu Yuan, Qiang Zhang, Shui-Nai Lei, Lei Ji, Li Fan, Yi-Zhong |
| author_facet | Niu, Shu Yuan, Qiang Zhang, Shui-Nai Lei, Lei Ji, Li Fan, Yi-Zhong |
| contents | Extended very-high-energy $γ$-ray emission from middle-aged pulsars as revealed recently by several groundbased $γ$-ray experiments has strong implication on the transport of high-energy particles in the interstellar medium surrounding those pulsars. The $γ$-ray emission is widely believed to be produced by high-energy electrons and positrons accelerated by the pulsar wind nebulae when scattering off the interstellar radiation field via the inverse Compton process. Consequently, multiwavelength counterparts of the $γ$-ray halos are expected to be present, which have not yet been detected. In this work we report the possible detection of extended X-ray emission from a $\sim 0.2\degr$ radius region around PSR B0656+14 with eROSITA. In spite that there are uncertainties of the on-orbit point spread function of the pointing mode, the radial profile of PSR B0656+14 is found to be broader than that of a star at similar observational conditions, indicating that emission is possibly from the expected extended halo around the pulsar. The spectrum of the emission can be described by a power-law function with an index of $\sim3.7$. Its surface brightness declines with radius faster than the prediction of the particle diffusion and synchrotron radiation in a uniform magnetic field, suggesting the existence of a radial gradient of the magnetic field strength as $\sim r^{-1}$. The magnetic field strength in the X-ray emitting region is constrained to be $4-10~μ$G. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_17046 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Possible evidence for extended X-ray emission surrounding PSR B0656+14 with eROSITA Niu, Shu Yuan, Qiang Zhang, Shui-Nai Lei, Lei Ji, Li Fan, Yi-Zhong High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Extended very-high-energy $γ$-ray emission from middle-aged pulsars as revealed recently by several groundbased $γ$-ray experiments has strong implication on the transport of high-energy particles in the interstellar medium surrounding those pulsars. The $γ$-ray emission is widely believed to be produced by high-energy electrons and positrons accelerated by the pulsar wind nebulae when scattering off the interstellar radiation field via the inverse Compton process. Consequently, multiwavelength counterparts of the $γ$-ray halos are expected to be present, which have not yet been detected. In this work we report the possible detection of extended X-ray emission from a $\sim 0.2\degr$ radius region around PSR B0656+14 with eROSITA. In spite that there are uncertainties of the on-orbit point spread function of the pointing mode, the radial profile of PSR B0656+14 is found to be broader than that of a star at similar observational conditions, indicating that emission is possibly from the expected extended halo around the pulsar. The spectrum of the emission can be described by a power-law function with an index of $\sim3.7$. Its surface brightness declines with radius faster than the prediction of the particle diffusion and synchrotron radiation in a uniform magnetic field, suggesting the existence of a radial gradient of the magnetic field strength as $\sim r^{-1}$. The magnetic field strength in the X-ray emitting region is constrained to be $4-10~μ$G. |
| title | Possible evidence for extended X-ray emission surrounding PSR B0656+14 with eROSITA |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.17046 |