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Radio Properties of Pulsar Wind Nebulae

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Modelling Pulsar Wind Nebulae

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 446))

Abstract

Fast rotating neutron stars produce a steady energetic wind of relativistic particles and magnetic field that is released into the expanding ejecta of a core-collapse supernova explosion. This pulsar wind creates a nebula, in which the relativistic particles travel through the magnetic field producing synchrotron emission observable from radio to the γ-ray band. In the radio band, smooth, highly linearly polarized emission arises from well ordered magnetic fields that can be characterized by a power-law distribution of flux, with typical spectral indices similar to optically thin thermal emission from HII regions. In this review I will summarize the development of the radio structure of pulsar wind nebulae with respect to the different phases of their evolution. I will present the characteristics of the radio continuum emission that we observe, such as spectral behaviour and the presence of cooling breaks in the radio band. I will derive magnetic field configurations and discuss their impact on overall PWN models.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my special thanks to Wolfgang Reich for providing his 32 GHz Effelsberg observations of the PWNe 3C 58, the Crab Nebula, and G21.5−0.9. I also would like to express my deepest appreciation to Michael Bietenholz for providing his beautiful radio map of 3C 58 for this publication. I would also like to thank Tom Landecker for careful reading of this manuscript. This research is partly based on observations with the 100-m radio telescope of the MPIfR (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie) at Effelsberg. The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is a national facility operated by the National Research Council Canada.

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  1. Herzberg Programs in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, National Research Council Canada, P.O. Box 248, Penticton, BC, V2A 6J9, Canada

    Roland Kothes

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  1. ICREA & Institute of Space Sciences, (IEEC-CSIC) Campus UAB, Barcelona, Spain

    Diego F. Torres

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Kothes, R. (2017). Radio Properties of Pulsar Wind Nebulae. In: Torres, D. (eds) Modelling Pulsar Wind Nebulae. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 446. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63031-1_1

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