The X‐Ray Structure and Spectrum of the Pulsar Wind Nebula Surrounding PSR B0540−69.3
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Abstract
We present the first spatially resolved spectral study of an extragalactic pulsar wind nebula (PWN), that surrounding the 50 ms pulsar B0540-69.3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using the ACIS instrument on board the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The spectral properties of the PWN change at a radius of ~5'', corresponding to a shell detected optically in [O III]. Within this radius, the spectra are well characterized by a simple power law, whose spectral index varies strongly with radius, so that the effective size of the nebula decreases with increasing photon energy. These X-ray measurements support the idea that the [O III] shell represents an outer skin surrounding the wind nebula, analogous to that seen in the Crab Nebula. We use the size-energy relation and radial variability of the X-ray spectral index to estimate PWN parameters, including the radial dependence of the magnetic field, and the average ratio of electromagnetic to particle flux.