Discovering the Hand in Space
In 2001, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory initially observed the pulsar PSR B1509-58 and revealed that its pulsar wind nebula (referred to as MSH 15-52) looks like a human hand. The pulsar is located at the base of the “palm” of the nebula. Now Chandras data of MSH 15-52 have actually been integrated with data from NASAs newest X-ray telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) to unveil the electromagnetic field “bones” of this exceptional structure. IXPE stared at MSH 15-52 for 17 days, the longest it has looked at any single item since it introduced in December 2021.
This is the view of MSH 15-52 from Chandra X-ray observation. It does not consist of the IXPE X-ray and infrared observations that are included in the composite image at the top of the article. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ./ R. Romani et al. (Chandra); Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/ J. Schmidt
Interpreting the Composite Image
In a brand-new composite image, Chandra data are seen in orange (low-energy X-rays), green, and blue (higher-energy X-rays), while the diffuse purple represents the IXPE observations. The pulsar remains in the intense area at the base of the palm and the fingers are reaching toward low energy X-ray clouds in the surrounding remains of the supernova that formed the pulsar. The image likewise consists of infrared information from the second information release of the Dark Energy Camera Plane Survey (DECaPS2) in red and blue.
Very first medical X-ray by Wilhelm Röntgen of his partner Anna Bertha Ludwigs hand. Credit: Wilhelm Röntgen
X-ray Polarization and the Magnetic Map
The IXPE information offers the first map of the electromagnetic field in the hand. It exposes information about the electric field orientation of X-rays determined by the magnetic field of the X-ray source. This is called “X-ray polarization.”
An extra X-ray image (listed below) reveals the electromagnetic field map in MSH 15-52. In this image, short straight lines represent IXPE polarization measurements, mapping the direction of the regional magnetic field. Orange “bars” mark the most precise measurements, followed by cyan and blue bars with less exact measurements. The intricate field lines follow the wrist, palm, and fingers of the hand, and probably assist define the prolonged finger-like structures.
Electromagnetic field map in MSH 15-52. Lines represent IXPE polarization measurements, mapping the instructions of the regional magnetic field. The length of the bars shows the quantity of polarization. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ./ R. Romani et al. (Chandra); NASA/MSFC (IXPE); Infared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/DECaPS; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/ J. Schmidt
Magnetic Field and Polarization
The quantity of polarization– shown by bar length– is remarkably high, reaching the optimum level gotten out of theoretical work. To attain that strength, the magnetic field needs to be uniform and very straight, suggesting there is little turbulence in those regions of the pulsar wind nebula.
One particularly interesting function of MSH 15-52 is a bright X-ray jet directed from the pulsar to the “wrist” at the bottom of the image. The new IXPE data expose that the polarization at the start of the jet is low, most likely since this is an unstable area with complex, tangled electromagnetic fields associated with the generation of high-energy particles. By the end of the jet the magnetic field lines appear to correct the alignment of and end up being far more uniform, triggering the polarization to end up being much bigger.
A paper describing these results by Roger Romani of Stanford University and partners was published in The Astrophysical Journal on October 23, 2023.
By integrating information from Chandra and IXPE, astronomers are learning more about how a pulsar is injecting particles into area and shaping its environment. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Stanford Univ./ R. Romani et al. (Chandra); NASA/MSFC (IXPE); Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech/DECaPS; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/ J. Schmidt
NASAs Chandra and IXPE telescopes reveal the magnetic “bones” of the “hand”- shaped pulsar wind nebula, MSH 15-52, providing revolutionary insights into X-ray polarization and electromagnetic field dynamics.
The Marvel of Pulsars
Turning neutron stars with strong electromagnetic fields, or pulsars, act as labs for severe physics, offering high-energy conditions that can not be replicated on Earth. Young pulsars can create jets of matter and antimatter moving away from the poles of the pulsar, in addition to an intense wind, forming a “pulsar wind nebula.”
By combining data from Chandra and IXPE, astronomers are finding out more about how a pulsar is injecting particles into area and shaping its environment. In 2001, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory first observed the pulsar PSR B1509-58 and exposed that its pulsar wind nebula (referred to as MSH 15-52) resembles a human hand. The pulsar is situated at the base of the “palm” of the nebula. The pulsar is in the intense area at the base of the palm and the fingers are reaching towards low energy X-ray clouds in the surrounding stays of the supernova that formed the pulsar. One especially intriguing function of MSH 15-52 is a brilliant X-ray jet directed from the pulsar to the “wrist” at the bottom of the image.
Reference: “The Polarized Cosmic Hand: IXPE Observations of PSR B1509 − 58/MSH 15 − 52” by Roger W. Romani, Josephine Wong, Niccoló Di Lalla, Nicola Omodei, Fei Xie, C.-Y. Ng, Riccardo Ferrazzoli, Alessandro Di Marco, Niccoló Bucciantini, Maura Pilia, Patrick Slane, Martin C. Weisskopf, Simon Johnston, Marta Burgay, Deng Wei, Yi-Jung Yang, Shumeng Zhang, Lucio A. Antonelli, Matteo Bachetti, Luca Baldini, Wayne H. Baumgartner, Ronaldo Bellazzini, Stefano Bianchi, Stephen D. Bongiorno, Raffaella Bonino, Alessandro Brez, Fiamma Capitanio, Simone Castellano, Elisabetta Cavazzuti, Chien-Ting Chen, Nicoló Cibrario, Stefano Ciprini, Enrico Costa, Alessandra De Rosa, Ettore Del Monte, Laura Di Gesu, Immacolata Donnarumma, Victor Doroshenko, Michal Dovčiak, Steven R. Ehlert, Teruaki Enoto, Yuri Evangelista, Sergio Fabiani, Javier A. Garcia, Shuichi Gunji, Kiyoshi Hayashida, Jeremy Heyl, Wataru Iwakiri, Ioannis Liodakis, Philip Kaaret, Vladimir Karas, Dawoon E. Kim, Takao Kitaguchi, Jeffery J. Kolodziejczak, Henric Krawczynski, Fabio La Monaca, Luca Latronico, Grzegorz Madejski, Simone Maldera, Alberto Manfreda, Frédéric Marin, Andrea Marinucci, Alan P. Marscher, Herman L. Marshall, Francesco Massaro, Giorgio Matt, Riccardo Middei, Ikuyuki Mitsuishi, Tsunefumi Mizuno, Fabio Muleri, Michela Negro, Stephen L. ODell, Chiara Oppedisano, Luigi Pacciani, Alessandro Papitto, George G. Pavlov, Matteo Perri, Melissa Pesce-Rollins, Pierre-Olivier Petrucci, Andrea Possenti, Juri Poutanen, Simonetta Puccetti, Brian D. Ramsey, John Rankin, Ajay Ratheesh, Oliver J. Roberts, Carmelo Sgró, Paolo Soffitta, Gloria Spandre, Douglas A. Swartz, Toru Tamagawa, Fabrizio Tavecchio, Roberto Taverna, Yuzuru Tawara, Allyn F. Tennant, Nicholas E. Thomas, Francesco Tombesi, Alessio Trois, Sergey Tsygankov, Roberto Turolla, Jacco Vink, Kinwah Wu and Silvia Zane, 23 October 2023, The Astrophysical Journal.DOI: 10.3847/ 1538-4357/ acfa02.
IXPE is a cooperation between NASA and the Italian Space Agency with partners and science collaborators in 12 countries. IXPE is led by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, handles spacecraft operations together with the University of Colorados Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder.
NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatorys Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
Chandra and IXPE information have actually been utilized to take a look at the pulsar wind nebula referred to as MSH 15-52.
Pulsar wind nebulae are clouds of energetic particles blown away from dead, collapsed stars.
MSH 15-52 is widely known for its shape that looks like that of a human hand.
IXPE observed this for about 17 days of observing time, the longest appearance at a single object yet for this objective.