Mode Change of a Gamma-Ray Pulsar, PSR J2021+4026

Abstract

A glitch of a pulsar is known as a sudden increase in the spin frequency and spin-down rate (frequency time derivative), and it can be caused by a sudden release of the stress built up in the solid crust of the star or pinned vortices in the superfluid interior. PSR J2021+4026 is the first pulsar that shows a significant change in the gamma-ray flux and pulse profile at the glitch that occurred around 2011 October 16. We report the results of timing and spectral analysis of PSR J2021+4026 using ∼8 yr Fermi  Large Area Telescope data. We find that the pulsar stayed at a high spin-down rate ( higher than the pre-glitch value) and a low gamma-ray state ( lower) for about 3 yr after the glitch. Around 2014 December, the spin-down rate and gamma-ray flux gradually returned to pre-glitch values within a timescale of a few months. The phase-resolved spectra and pulse profiles after the relaxation are also consistent with those before the glitch. The observed long-term evolution of the spin-down rate and the gamma-ray flux indicates that the glitch triggered a mode change in the global magnetosphere. We speculate that the glitch changed the local magnetic field structure around the polar cap and/or the inclination angle of the dipole axis, leading to a change in the electric current circulating in the magnetosphere.