A MID-INFRARED COUNTERPART TO THE MAGNETAR 1E 2259+586
- 1. Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
- 2. Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2T8 (Canada)
- 3. Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)
Description
We report the discovery of a 4.5 μm counterpart to the anomalous X-ray pulsar (magnetar) 1E 2259+586 with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The mid-infrared flux density is 6.3 ± 1.0 μJy at 4.5 μm and <20 μJy (at 95% confidence) at 8 μm, or 0.02% of the 2-10 keV X-ray flux (corrected for extinction). Combining our Spitzer measurements with previously published near-infrared data, we show that the overall infrared emission from 1E 2259+586 is qualitatively similar to that from the magnetar 4U 0142+61. Therefore, the passive X-ray-heated dust disk model originally developed for 4U 0142+61 might also apply to 1E 2259+586. However, the IR data from this source can also be fitted by a simple power-law spectrum as might be expected from magnetospheric emission.
Availability note (English)
Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/700/1/149Additional details
Identifiers
Publishing Information
- Journal Title
- Astrophysical Journal
- Journal Volume
- 700
- Journal Issue
- 1
- Journal Page Range
- p. 149-154
- ISSN
- 0004-637X
- CODEN
- ASJOAB
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- INIS RN
- 41057208
- Subject category
- S79: ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY;
- Descriptors DEI
- COSMIC NEUTRONS; DUSTS; EMISSION; FLUX DENSITY; NEUTRON STARS; PULSARS; SUPERNOVAE; TELESCOPES
- Descriptors DEC
- BARYONS; BINARY STARS; COSMIC RADIATION; COSMIC RADIO SOURCES; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS; FERMIONS; HADRONS; IONIZING RADIATIONS; NEUTRONS; NUCLEONS; RADIATIONS; SECONDARY COSMIC RADIATION; STARS; VARIABLE STARS