Title: Spectral and Timing Studies of PSR B0540-69

Title: Spectral and Timing Studies of PSR B0540-69

Proposal ID: 0120227
Subject category: Compact Object
Principal investigator: Kanbach
Institute: Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik

Abstract

The young high-energy pulsar PSR B0540-69, embedded in a synchrotron plerion in the center of SNR 0540-69.3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, has often been called an extragalactic 'twin' of the Crab pulsar. Pulsed emission from the radio to X-ray energies up to 10 keV has been detected from this source. Lightcurves and spectra of PSR B0540-69 reveal on one side the energetic similarities, but on the other side also intriguing differences with respect to the Crab pulsar. Extrapolation of the emission characteristics of PSR B0540-69 into the range above 10 kev based on a typical outer gap model for the hard X-ray/low gamma-ray emission shows that the energy range up to about 100 keV may provide unique signatures to understand the spectral components and physical mechanisms working in the pulsar's magnetosphere. The INTEGRAL instruments JEM-X and IBIS can provide this spectral information in a 10**6 sec exposure. These measurements will also provide timing data of exceptional quality. Combined with contemporaneous optical timing observation from the ground, which we plan to perform, will establish the phase relations of the pulsed emission over a large spectral band for the first time.