论文标题
重新检测和可能从螃蟹的软X射线极化的时间变化
Re-detection and a Possible Time Variation of Soft X-ray Polarisation from the Crab
论文作者
论文摘要
到目前为止，蟹状星云是唯一在软X射线极化法中具有统计学意义检测的天体物体，该窗口自1970年代以来就一直没有在天文学中探索。但是，预计软X射线极化法将是高能天体物理物体中磁场的敏感探针，包括旋转供电的脉冲星和脉冲星风星云。在这里，我们报告了40年后从螃蟹星云和Pulsar带有Polarlight的40年后的软X射线极化的重新检测，Polarlight是一种微型极性计，利用了Cubesate上的新技术。 2019年7月23日，蟹脉脉冲星的故障后，观察到脉冲相中蟹的极化分数减小，而纯nebular发射的极化则在不确定性内保持恒定。该现象可能持续了大约100天。如果可以通过未来的观察结果确认故障与极化变化之间的关联，则将对高能量发射和脉冲星的毛刺的物理机理施加强大的限制。
The Crab nebula is so far the only celestial object with a statistically significant detection in soft x-ray polarimetry, a window that has not been explored in astronomy since the 1970s. However, soft x-ray polarimetry is expected to be a sensitive probe of magnetic fields in high energy astrophysical objects including rotation-powered pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae. Here we report the re-detection of soft x-ray polarisation after 40 years from the Crab nebula and pulsar with PolarLight, a miniature polarimeter utilising a novel technique onboard a CubeSat. The polarisation fraction of the Crab in the on-pulse phases was observed to decrease after a glitch of the Crab pulsar on July 23, 2019, while that of the pure nebular emission remained constant within uncertainty. The phenomenon may have lasted about 100 days. If the association between the glitch and polarisation change can be confirmed with future observations, it will place strong constraints on the physical mechanism of the high energy emission and glitch of pulsars.
