First Detection of Polarization in X-Rays for PSR B0540-69 and Its Nebula
Journal
Date Issued
2024
Author(s)
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Wong, Josephine
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Romani, Roger W.
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Heyl, Jeremy
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Kaaret, Philip
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Liu, Kuan
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Ng, Chi-Yung
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Di Lalla, Niccolò
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Ho, Wynn C. G.
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Harding, Alice K.
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Gendreau, Keith C.
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Arzoumanian, Zaven
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Weisskopf, Martin C.
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Agudo, Iván
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Baldini, Luca
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Baumgartner, Wayne H.
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Bellazzini, Ronaldo
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Bianchi, Stefano
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Bongiorno, Stephen D.
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Bonino, Raffaella
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Brez, Alessandro
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Castellano, Simone
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Cavazzuti, Elisabetta
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Chen, Chien-Ting
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Ciprini, Stefano
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Di Gesu, Laura
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Donnarumma, Immacolata
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Doroshenko, Victor
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Dovčiak, Michal
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Ehlert, Steven R.
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Enoto, Teruaki
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Garcia, Javier A.
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Gunji, Shuichi
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Hayashida, Kiyoshi
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Iwakiri, Wataru
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Jorstad, Svetlana G.
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Karas, Vladimir
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Kislat, Fabian
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Kitaguchi, Takao
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Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.
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Krawczynski, Henric
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Latronico, Luca
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Liodakis, Ioannis
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Maldera, Simone
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Manfreda, Alberto
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Marin, Frédéric
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Marinucci, Andrea
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Marscher, Alan P.
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Marshall, Herman L.
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Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki
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Mizuno, Tsunefumi
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Negro, Michela
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O'Dell, Stephen L.
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Omodei, Nicola
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Oppedisano, Chiara
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Pavlov, George G.
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Peirson, Abel L.
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Pesce-Rollins, Melissa
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Petrucci, Pierre-Olivier
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Poutanen, Juri
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Puccetti, Simonetta
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Ramsey, Brian D.
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Roberts, Oliver J.
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Sgrò, Carmelo
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Slane, Patrick
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Spandre, Gloria
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Swartz, Douglas A.
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Tamagawa, Toru
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Taverna, Roberto
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Tawara, Yuzuru
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Tennant, Allyn F.
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Thomas, Nicholas E.
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Tsygankov, Sergey S.
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Turolla, Roberto
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Vink, Jacco
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Wu, Kinwah
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Zane, Silvia
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IXPE Collaboration
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Wadiasingh, Zorawar
Abstract
We report on X-ray polarization measurements of the extragalactic Crab-like PSR B0540-69 and its Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using a ∼850 ks Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) exposure. The PWN is unresolved by IXPE. No statistically significant polarization is detected for the image-averaged data, giving a 99% confidence polarization upper limit (MDP99) of 5.3% in the 2–8 keV energy range. However, a phase-resolved analysis detects polarization for both the nebula and pulsar in the 4–6 keV energy range. For the PWN defined as the off-pulse phases, the polarization degree (PD) of (24.5 ± 5.3)% and polarization angle (PA) of (78.1 ± 6.2)° is detected at 4.6σ significance level, consistent with the PA observed in the optical band. In a single on-pulse window, a hint of polarization is measured at 3.8σ with PD of (50.0 ± 13.1)% and PA of (6.2 ± 7.4)°. A "simultaneous" PSR/PWN analysis finds two bins at the edges of the pulse exceeding 3σ PD significance, with PD of (68 ± 20)% and (62 ± 20)%; intervening bins at 2–3σ significance have lower PD, hinting at additional polarization structure.
Volume
962
Issue
1
Start page
92
Issn Identifier
0004-637X
Ads BibCode
2024ApJ...962...92X
Rights
open.access
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