Studying the γ-ray pulsar J1932+1916 and its pulsar wind nebula with Chandra

Abstract

We report on the results of Chandra X-ray observations of the γ-ray radio-quiet pulsar J1932+1916. We confirm the previous detection of the pulsar counterpart and its pulsar wind nebula in X-rays from low spatial resolution data obtained by Suzaku and Swift. The Chandra data with much better spatial resolution resolved the fine structure of the nebula in the pulsar vicinity, which can be interpreted as jets bent by the ram pressure. The size of this compact part is about 30″, and it is surrounded by a weak asymmetric diffusive emission extended up to ≈2.′8. The X-ray spectra of the pulsar, the compact and extended parts of the nebula can be described by the power-law models with photon indexes of 0.44-0.61+0.57, 2.34-0.79+0.95 and 2.14-0.31+0.32, respectively. The actual pulsar's X-ray flux is several times weaker than it was obtained with Suzaku and Swift where it was dominated by the unresolved nebula. We discuss possible associations of J1932+1916 with the nearby supernova remnant G54.4-0.3.