2006/11/30 by Z. Wang, Zhongxiang Wang, V. M. Kaspi +1
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Flux (metallurgy) #High-pressure geophysics and materials #Infrared #Magnetic field #Magnetosphere #Materials science #Physics #Pulsar #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Spitzer Space Telescope #Telescope #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/519482
published as Astrophys.J.665:1292-1296,2007 · 6 pages, 5 figures, ApJ, accepted
arxiv created 2007/06/26 · openalex publication_date 2007/08/10 · arxiv updated 2011/02/11 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We report on mid-infrared imaging observations of the anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) 1E 1048.1-5937, 1RXS J170849.0-400910, and XTE J1810-197. The observations were carried out at 4.5 and 8.0 μm with the Infrared Array Camera and at 24 μm with the Multiband Imaging Photometer on the Spitzer Space Telescope . No mid-infrared counterparts were detected. As infrared emission from AXPs may be related to their X-ray emission either via the magnetosphere or via a dust disk, we compare the derived upper limits on the infrared/X-ray flux ratios of the AXPs to the same ratio for 4U 0142+61, an AXP previously detected in the mid-infrared range. The upper limits are above the flux ratio for 4U 0142+61, indicating that if AXPs have similar infrared/X-ray flux ratios, our observations were not sufficiently deep to detect our AXP targets. For XTE J1810-197, the upper limits set a constraint on its rising radio energy spectrum, suggesting a spectral break between 4.2 × 10 10 and 6 × 10 13 Hz.