Title: The soft gamma-ray timing- and spectral characteristics of PSR B1509-58

Title: The soft gamma-ray timing- and spectral characteristics of PSR B1509-58

Proposal ID: 0120279
Subject category: Compact Object
Principal investigator: Hermsen
Institute: SRON-Utrecht

Abstract

We propose to observe pulsar PSR B1509-58 for 1000 ks with INTEGRAL to determine its hard X-ray, soft gamma-ray characteristics in great detail. This pulsar is a young pulsar possessing the highest spin-down dipole magnetic field of the known gamma-ray pulsars, and is among the top four in the known radio pulsar population. Its established hard X-ray/soft gamma-ray emission could not yet be studied in great detail. We plan to exploit the proposed INTEGRAL observation together with available COMPTEL, BATSE and BeppoSAX data for a consistent in-depth study of the pulse profile shape and spectral variations with phase from 1 keV to 30 MeV. Such phase resolved spectral analyses give crucial input for detailed modelling. We will particularly focus interpretation on a polar cap scenario in which attenuation of gamma-rays in the inner part of the pulsar magnetosphere is effected by the exotic quantum electrodynamical mechanisms of one-photon pair creation and photon splitting.