Analysis of Crab X-Ray Polarization Using Deeper Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer Observations

Abstract We present Crab X-ray polarization measurements using Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) data with a total exposure of 300 ks, three times more than the initial 2022 discovery paper. Polarization is detected in three times more pulsar phase bins, revealing an S-shaped +40° polarization angle sweep in the main pulse and >1 σ departures from the OPTIMA optical polarization in both pulses, suggesting different radiation mechanisms or sites for the polarized emission at the two wavebands. Our polarization map of the inner nebula reveals a toroidal magnetic field, as seen in prior IXPE analyses. Along the southern jet, the magnetic field orientation relative to the jet axis changes from perpendicular to parallel and the polarization degree decreases by ∼6%. These observations may be explained by kink instabilities along the jet or a collision with a dense, jet-deflecting medium at the tip. Using spectropolarimetric analysis, we find asymmetric polarization in the four quadrants of the inner nebula, as expected for a toroidal field geometry, and a spatial correlation between polarization degree and photon index.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Astrophysical Journal
Published
2024-09-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad6309
Citations
10
Primary Topic
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.32

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article en
10 citations

Abstract

Abstract We present Crab X-ray polarization measurements using Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) data with a total exposure of 300 ks, three times more than the initial 2022 discovery paper. Polarization is detected in three times more pulsar phase bins, revealing an S-shaped +40° polarization angle sweep in the main pulse and >1 σ departures from the OPTIMA optical polarization in both pulses, suggesting different radiation mechanisms or sites for the polarized emission at the two wavebands. Our polarization map of the inner nebula reveals a toroidal magnetic field, as seen in prior IXPE analyses. Along the southern jet, the magnetic field orientation relative to the jet axis changes from perpendicular to parallel and the polarization degree decreases by ∼6%. These observations may be explained by kink instabilities along the jet or a collision with a dense, jet-deflecting medium at the tip. Using spectropolarimetric analysis, we find asymmetric polarization in the four quadrants of the inner nebula, as expected for a toroidal field geometry, and a spatial correlation between polarization degree and photon index.

The Astrophysical JournalVol. 973(2)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Marshall Space Flight Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research
3.32
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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