Ubiquity: Relativistic Winds from Young Rotation-Powered Pulsars

Abstract

Recent X-ray observations of young rotation-powered pulsars are providing an unprecedented detailed view of pulsar wind nebulae. For the first time, coherent emission features involving wisps, co-aligned toroidal structures, and axial jets are fully resolved in X-rays on arc-second scales. These structures, which are remarkably coherent and symmetric, are similar to features seen in the optical Crab nebula. In this report, we present the latest high resolution Chandra X-ray images of six young rotation-powered pulsars in supernova remnants. These data suggest an X-ray morphology perhaps common to all young rotation-powered pulsars and serve as a guide for developing the next generation of theoretical models for pulsar wind nebulae.