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arXiv · 2308.08809

Testing a stochastic acceleration model of pulsar wind nebulae: Early evolution of a wind nebula associated with SN 1986J

Shuta J. Tanaka·Kazumi Kashiyama
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Abstract

Over three thousand pulsars have been discovered, but none have been confirmed to be younger than a few hundred years. Observing a pulsar after a supernova explosion will help us understand the properties of newborn ones, including their capability to produce gamma-ray bursts and fast radio bursts. Here, the possible youngest pulsar wind nebula (PWN) at the center of the SN 1986J remnant is studied. We demonstrate that the 5 GHz flux of 'PWN 1986J', increasing with time, is consistent with a stochastic acceleration model of PWNe developed to explain the flat radio spectrum of the Crab Nebula. We obtain an acceleration time-scale of electrons/positrons and a decay time-scale of the turbulence responsible for the stochastic acceleration as about 10 and 70 years, respectively. Our findings suggest that efficient stochastic acceleration and rising radio/submm light curves are characteristic signatures of the youngest PWNe. Follow-up ${\it ALMA}$ observations of decades-old supernovae within a few tens of Mpc, including SN 1986J, are encouraged to reveal the origin of the flat radio spectrum of PWNe.

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Shuta J. Tanaka, Kazumi Kashiyama. 2023-08-17. Testing a stochastic acceleration model of pulsar wind nebulae: Early evolution of a wind nebula associated with SN 1986J. https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.08809

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