Astronomers from the Western Sydney University in Australia and elsewhere report the detection of a new pulsar wind nebula and a pulsar that powers it. The discovery, presented in a paper published Dec. 12 has piqued the interest of astronomers around the world. Here is an especially interesting look at what was found.
The detection was made using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), as well as MeerKAT and Parkes radio telescopes. It is a rare discovery that is providing a lot of promise for unlocking crucial information about particle flow in these nebulae. The findings have provided important clues about PWN in general.
The new pulsar wind nebula, called “Potoroo,” has been confirmed to be powered by a pulsar called PSR J1638–4713. It’s exciting for researchers to see unique characteristics about Potoroo, including its cometary morphology in radio and X-ray bands. Other striking features of Potoroo include its unusually steep overall radio spectrum.”For the pulsars that are propelled through the ambient medium at supersonic velocities, the resulting ram pressure transforms the PWN into a bow-shock,
This process confines the pulsar wind in the opposite direction to that of the pulsar motion, forming a cometary-like shaped tail,” the authors of the paper explained. Potoroo is situated at a distance of at least 32,500 light years and has the longest PWN radio trails known to date.
To read more about this exciting discovery, click on the link. Scientists continue to be fascinated by the possibilities of what else could be found as they continue to study the cosmos.