TY - JOUR
T1 - Search for the elusive optical counterpart of PSR J0537-6910 with the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys
AU - Mignani, R. P.
AU - Pulone, L.
AU - Iannicola, G.
AU - Pavlov, G. G.
AU - Townsley, L.
AU - Kargaltsev, O. Y.
PY - 2005/2
Y1 - 2005/2
N2 - We present the results of deep, high-resolution, multi-band optical observations of the field of the young (∼5000 yr) 16 ms X-ray pulsar PSR J0537-6910 performed with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Although a few new potential counterparts have been detected within or close to the revised Chandra X-ray error circle (≃1") of the pulsar, only two of them (with magnitudes m 814W ≈ 23.9 and m814W ≈ 24.2) show indications of a peculiar spectrum which could be related to optical emission from the pulsar. This might be true also for a third, fainter, candidate detected only in one filter (with magnitude m814W ≈ 26.7). If either of the two brighter candidates is indeed the actual counterpart, the optical output of PSR J0537-6910 would make it similar to young Crab-like pulsars. If not, it would mean that PSR J0537-6910 is significantly underluminous with respect to all pulsars detected in the optical.
AB - We present the results of deep, high-resolution, multi-band optical observations of the field of the young (∼5000 yr) 16 ms X-ray pulsar PSR J0537-6910 performed with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Although a few new potential counterparts have been detected within or close to the revised Chandra X-ray error circle (≃1") of the pulsar, only two of them (with magnitudes m 814W ≈ 23.9 and m814W ≈ 24.2) show indications of a peculiar spectrum which could be related to optical emission from the pulsar. This might be true also for a third, fainter, candidate detected only in one filter (with magnitude m814W ≈ 26.7). If either of the two brighter candidates is indeed the actual counterpart, the optical output of PSR J0537-6910 would make it similar to young Crab-like pulsars. If not, it would mean that PSR J0537-6910 is significantly underluminous with respect to all pulsars detected in the optical.
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U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361:20041781
DO - 10.1051/0004-6361:20041781
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:14044278162
SN - 0004-6361
VL - 431
SP - 659
EP - 665
JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics
JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics
IS - 2
ER -