Chandra X-ray Detection of the High-Magnetic-Field Radio Pulsar PSR J1718-3718

Abstract

We report on the serendipitous X-ray detection, using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, of the radio pulsar J1718-3718. This pulsar has one of the highest inferred surface dipole magnetic fields in the radio pulsar population (B = 7.4e13 G), higher than that inferred for one well-known Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP). The X-ray emission for J1718-3718 appears point-like and has a purely thermal spectrum, with kT = 0.145 keV and absorbed 0.5-2 keV flux of (6.3-6.9)e-15 erg/s/cm^2. We show that the pulsar's 2-10 keV luminosity is several orders of magnitude smaller than those of the non-transient AXPs, and consistent with the predictions of standard models for initial cooling. The number of high-magnetic-field radio pulsars observed at X-ray energies now stands at five. All are X-ray faint, suggesting that either there is a significant physical distinction between high-magnetic-field radio pulsars and AXPs, or that high-magnetic-field radio pulsars are, in fact, quiescent AXPs.