A Population of Gamma-Ray Millisecond Pulsars Seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope
Abstract
Most of the pulsars we know about were detected through their radio emission; a few are known to pulse gamma rays but were first detected at other wavelengths (see the Perspective by Halpern ). Using the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, Abdo et al. (p. 840 , published online 2 July; see the cover) report the detection of 16 previously unknown pulsars based on their gamma-ray emission alone. Thirteen of these coincide with previously unidentified gamma-ray sources, solving the 30-year-old mystery of their identities. Pulsars are fast-rotating neutron stars. With time they slow down and cease to radiate; however, if they are in a binary system, they can have their spin rates increased by mass transfer from their companion stars, starting a new life as millisecond pulsars. In another study, Abdo et al. (p. 845 ) report the detection of gamma-ray emission from the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, which is coming from an ensemble of millisecond pulsars in the cluster's core. The data imply that there are up to 60 millisecond pulsars in 47 Tucanae, twice as many as predicted by radio observations. In a further companion study, Abdo et al. (p. 848 , published online 2 July) searched Fermi Large Area Telescope data for pulsations from all known millisecond pulsars outside of stellar clusters, finding gamma-ray pulsations for eight of them. Their properties resemble those of other gamma-ray pulsars, suggesting that they share the same basic emission mechanism. Indeed, both sets of pulsars favor emission models in which the gamma rays are produced in the outer magnetosphere of the neutron star.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Aug 14, 2009
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.1176113
Entities
People
- A. A. Abdo
- A. A. Moiseev
- A. Brez
- A. Chekhtman
- A. De Angelis
- A. K. Harding
- A. Makeev
- A. P. Waite
- A. Reimer
- A. S. Johnson
- A. Sander
- A. Tramacere
- A. Van Etten
- A. W. Borgland
- A. Y. Rodriguez
- Aldo Morselli
- Anthony De Luca
- B. Berenji
- B. Giebels
- B. L. Winer
- B. Lott
- B. M. Baughman
- B. W. Stappers
- C. C. Cheung
- C. Cecchi
- C. D. Dermer
- C. Farnier
- C. Favuzzi
- C. Meurer
- C. Monte
- C. Sgrò
- C. Venter
- D. A. Smith
- D. Dumora
- D. F. Torres
- D. J. Suson
- D. J. Thompson
- D. Paneque
- D. Parent
- D. Sanchez
- Dario Gasparrini
- Denis Bastieri
- E. Bonamente
- E. Charles
- E. D. Bloom
- E. Do Couto E Silva
- E. Hays
- E. J. Siskind
- E. Nuss
- E. Orlando
- E. Striani
- E. Wallace
- F. Camilo
- F. De Palma
- F. Giordano
- F. Ryde
- Fabio Gargano
- Francesco Longo
- Francesco Loparco
- G. A. Caliandro
- G. Barbiellini
- G. Desvignes
- G. F. Bignami
- G. Godfrey
- G. Hobbs
- G. Jóhannesson
- G. M. Madejski
- G. Theureau
- Gino Tosti
- Gloria Spandre
- H. F. W. Sadrozinski
- H. Katagiri
- H. Tajima
- H. Takahashi
- I. A. Grenier
- I. Cognard
- I. V. Moskalenko
- J. B. Thayer
- J. Ballet
- J. Bregeon
- J. Chiang
- J. Cohen-tanugi
- J. Conrad
- J. D. Scargle
- J. E. Mcenery
- J. Eric Grove
- J. F. Ormes
- J. G. Thayer
- J. H. Panetta
- J. Kataoka
- J. Knödlseder
- J. L. Starck
- J. Lande
- J. M. Casandjian
- J. P. Norris
- K. Bechtol
- K. S. Wood
- K. Watters
- L. Guillemot
- L. Latronico
- L. R. Cominsky
- L. S. Rochester
- L. Tibaldo
- Luca Baldini
- M. A. Mclaughlin
- M. Ackermann
- M. Axelsson
- M. Brigida
- M. Dormody
- M. E. Monzani
- M. Frailis
- M. G. Baring
- M. H. Grondin
- M. Hayashida
- M. Kuss
- M. L. Kocian
- M. Lemoine-goumard
- M. Marelli
- M. N. Lovellette
- M. N. Mazziotta
- M. Pepe
- M. Ziegler
- Marco Ajello
- Mark S. Strickman
- Massimiliano Razzano
- Matthew Kerr
- Melissa Pesce-Rollins
- Michael Kramer
- Michael Roth
- N. Gehrels
- N. Giglietto
- N. Kawai
- N. Rea
- N. Vilchez
- Nathan J. Webb
- Nicola Omodei
- Olaf Reimer
- P. A. Caraveo
- P. Bruel
- P. C. C. Freire
- P. D. Smith
- P. F. Michelson
- P. Fusco
- P. L. Nolan
- P. Lubrano
- P. M. Saz Parkinson
- P. S. Drell
- P. S. Ray
- P. Spinelli
- P. Weltevrede
- Peter E. Carlson
- Pingshan Wang
- R. A. Cameron
- R. Bellazzini
- R. Claus
- R. Corbet
- R. D. Blandford
- R. Dubois
- R. E. Hughes
- R. N. Manchester
- R. P. Johnson
- R. W. Romani
- Riccardo Rando
- S. Ciprini
- S. Cutini
- S. E. Thorsett
- S. Germani
- S. J. Fegan
- S. M. Ransom
- S. Murgia
- S. Rainò
- S. Ritz
- S. W. Digel
- Simon Johnston
- Stefan Funk
- Sylvain Guiriec
- T. A. Porter
- T. Glanzman
- T. H. Burnett
- T. J. Johnson
- T. Kamae
- T. L. Schalk
- T. L. Usher
- T. Ohsugi
- T. Reposeur
- T. Ylinen
- Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Tsunefumi Mizuno
- V. Pelassa
- V. Vasileiou
- V. Vitale
- W. B. Atwood
- W. B. Focke
- W. Mcconville
- W. Mitthumsiri
- W. Neil Johnson
- Y. Edmonds
- Y. Fukazawa
- Y. Hanabata
- Y. Uchiyama
- Ö. Çelik
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- AlbaNova
- Ames Research Center
- Arecibo Observatory
- Autonomous University of Barcelona
- Columbia University
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- George Mason University
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- Hiroshima University
- INSU
- Institute for Research on the Fundamental Laws of the Universe
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
- Italian Space Agency
- Linnaeus University
- Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
- Montpellier 2 University
- National Institute for Astrophysics
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory
- Northwest University
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- Purdue University Northwest
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- University of Padua
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- University of Trieste
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- West Virginia University
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