Synchronous X-ray and Radio Mode Switches: a Rapid Global Transformation of the Pulsar Magnetosphere

W. Hermsen (1) , J. W. T. Hessels (2) , L. Kuiper (1) , J. van Leeuwen (2) , D. Mitra (3) , J. de Plaa (1) , J. M. Rankin (4) , B. W. Stappers (5) , G. A. E. Wright (6) , R. Basu (3) , A. Alexov (7) , T. Coenen (8) , Jean-Mathias Griessmeier (9, 10) , T. E. Hassall (5) , A. Karastergiou (11) , E. Keane (12) , V. I. Kondratiev (13) , M. Kramer (14) , M. Kuniyoshi (14) , A. Noutsos (14) , M Serylak (9, 10) , M Pilia (13) , C. Sobey (14) , P. Weltevrede (5) , K. Zagkouris (11) , A. Asgekar (13) , I. M. Avruch (1) , F. Batejat (15) , M.E. Bell (16) , M.R. Bell (14) , M. J. Bentum (13) , G. Bernardi (17) , P. Best (18) , L. Birzan (19) , A. Bonafede (20) , F. Breitling (21) , J. Broderick (16) , M. Bruggen (20) , H. R. Butcher (13) , B. Ciardi (22) , S. Duscha (13) , J. Eisloffel (23) , H. Falcke (13, 14, 24) , R. Fender (16) , C. Ferrari (25) , W. Frieswijk (13) , M.A. Garrett (13, 19) , F. de Gasperin (26) , E. de Geus (27) , A. W. Gunst (13) , G. Heald (13) , M. Hoeft (23) , A. Horneffer (22) , M. Iacobelli (19) , G. Kupper (13) , P. Maat (13) , G. Macario (25) , S. Markoff (8) , J. P. Mckean (13) , M. Mevius (13) , J. Miller-Jones (8) , R. Morganti (13, 28) , H Munk (13) , E. Orrù (13) , H. Paas (29) , M Pandey-Pommier (30) , V. N. Pandey (31) , R. Pizzo (13) , A. G. Polatidis (13) , S. Rawlings (32) , W. Reich (14) , H. Rottgering (19) , A. M. M. Scaife (33) , A. Schoenmakers (13) , A. Shulevski (28) , J. Sluman (13) , M. Steinmetz (21) , Michel Tagger (9) , Y. Tang (13) , C. Tasse (34, 35) , S. ter Veen (36) , R. Vermeulen (13) , R.H. van de Brink (13) , R.J. van Weeren (13) , R. A. M. J. Wijers (8) , M. W. Wise (8, 13) , O. Wucknitz (37) , S. Yatawatta (28) , P. Zarka (35)

1 SRON - SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research
2 UvA - University of Amsterdam [Amsterdam]
3 NCRA - National Centre for Radio Astrophysics [Pune]
4 University of Vermont [Burlington]
5 Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics
6 Astronomy Centre, University of Sussex
7 STSci - Space Telescope Science Institute
8 AI PANNEKOEK - Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek
9 LPC2E - Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace
10 USN - Unité Scientifique de la Station de Nançay
11 Oxford Astrophysics
12 Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing
13 ASTRON - Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
14 MPIFR - Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
15 OSO - Onsala Space Observatory
16 University of Southampton
17 CfA - Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
18 University of Edinburgh
19 Leiden Observatory [Leiden]
20 Jacobs University [Bremen]
21 AIP - Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam
22 Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
23 TLS - Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg
24 Radboud University [Nijmegen]
25 LAGRANGE - Joseph Louis LAGRANGE
26 Hamburger Sternwarte/Hamburg Observatory
27 Medstar Research Institute
28 Kapteyn Astronomical Institute [Groningen]
29 Center for Information Technology CIT
30 CRAL - Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon
31 NRAO - National Radio Astronomy Observatory [Charlottesville]
32 Oxford Astrophysics
33 School of Physics and Astronomy [Southampton]
34 SKA South Africa
35 LESIA - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique
36 IMAPP - Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics
37 AlfA - Argelander-Institut für Astronomie

Pulsars emit low-frequency radio waves through to high-energy gamma-rays that are generated anywhere from the surface out to the edges of the magnetosphere. Detecting correlated mode changes in the multi-wavelength emission is therefore key to understanding the physical relationship between these emission sites. Through simultaneous observations, we have detected synchronous switching in the radio and X-ray emission properties of PSR B0943+10. When the pulsar is in a sustained radio 'bright' mode, the X-rays show only an un-pulsed, non-thermal component. Conversely, when the pulsar is in a radio 'quiet' mode, the X-ray luminosity more than doubles and a 100%-pulsed thermal component is observed along with the non-thermal component. This indicates rapid, global changes to the conditions in the magnetosphere, which challenge all proposed pulsar emission theories.

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

W. Hermsen, J. W. T. Hessels, L. Kuiper, J. van Leeuwen, D. Mitra, et al.. Synchronous X-ray and Radio Mode Switches: a Rapid Global Transformation of the Pulsar Magnetosphere. Science, 2013, 339 (6118), pp.436-439. ⟨10.1126/science.1230960⟩. ⟨insu-01288734⟩