Radio-quiet and Radio-loud Pulsars: Similar in Gamma-Rays but Different in X-Rays

Abstract

We present new Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of a sample of eight radio-quiet (RQ) γ-ray pulsars detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. For all eight pulsars we identify the X-ray counterpart, based on the X-ray source localization and the best position obtained from γ-ray pulsar timing. For PSR J2030+4415 we found evidence for a ∼10″-long pulsar wind nebula. Our new results consolidate the work from Marelli et al. and confirm that, on average, the γ-ray-to-X-ray flux ratios (F<SUB>γ</SUB>/F<SUB>X</SUB>) of RQ pulsars are higher than for the radio-loud (RL) ones. Furthermore, while the F<SUB>γ</SUB>/F<SUB>X</SUB> distribution features a single peak for the RQ pulsars, the distribution is more dispersed for the RL ones, possibly showing two peaks. We discuss possible implications of these different distributions based on current models for pulsar X-ray emission.