Pulsar J1320-5359 was recently discovered to have one of the highest evermeasured long-term braking indices (n> 100). This is far in excess over thecanonical value of 3 that one would expect if pulsars slow down their rotationas rotating magnetic dipoles. Although some variation of n (on the order of afew) around 3 has been seen before, such extremely large braking indices are anovel finding, and their physical origin is unclear. A promising hypothesissuggests magnetic field decay as explanation. This can be observationallychecked since magnetic field decay should also manifest itself in an unusuallyhigh thermal X-ray luminosity. Based on several properties, PSR J1320-5359 isthe best target to test whether the magnetic field decay hypothesis can explain the high braking indices.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2022-08-13T03:34:57Z/2022-08-13T18:18:17Z
Version
20.08_20220509_1852
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Dr Bettina Posselt, 2023, 'Is PSR J1320-5359 heated by magnetic field decayquestionMark', 20.08_20220509_1852, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-ci2dzdf
