Fermi Detection of a Luminous gamma-Ray Pulsar in a Globular Cluster

Freire PCC; Abdo AA; Ajello M; Allafort A; Ballet J; Barbiellini G; Bastieri D; Bechtol K; Bellazzini R; Blandford RD; Bloom ED; Bonamente E; Borgland AW; Brigida M; Bruel P; Buehler R; Buson S; Caliandro GA; Cameron RA; Camilo F; Caraveo PA; Cecchi C; Celik O; Charles E; Chekhtman A; Cheung CC; Chiang J; Ciprini S; Claus R; Cognard I; Cohen-Tanugi J; Cominsky LR; de Palma F; Dermer CD; Silva EDE; Dormody M; Drell PS; Dubois R; Dumora D; Espinoza CM; Favuzzi C; Fegan SJ; Ferrara EC; Focke WB; Fortin P; Fukazawa Y; Fusco P; Gargano F; Gasparrini D; Gehrels N; Germani S; Giglietto N; Giordano F; Giroletti M; Glanzman T; Godfrey G; Grenier IA; Grondin MH; Grove JE; Guillemot L; Guiriec S; Hadasch D; Harding AK; Johannesson G; Johnson AS; Johnson TJ; Johnston S; Katagiri H; Kataoka J; Keith M; Kerr M; Knodlseder J; Kramer M; Kuss M; Lande J; Latronico L; Lee SH; Lemoine-Goumard M; Longo F; Loparco F; Lovellette MN; Lubrano P; Lyne AG; Manchester RN; Marelli M; Mazziotta MN; McEnery JE; Michelson PF; Mizuno T; Moiseev AA; Monte C; Monzani ME; Morselli A; Moskalenko IV; Murgia S; Nakamori T; Nolan PL; Norris JP; Nuss E; Ohsugi T; Okumura A; Omodei N; Orlando E; Ozaki M; Paneque D; Parent D; Pesce-Rollins M; Pierbattista M; Piron F; Porter TA; Raino S; Ransom SM; Ray PS; Reimer A; Reimer O; Reposeur T; Ritz S; Romani RW; Roth M; Sadrozinski HFW; Parkinson PMS; Sgro C; Shannon R; Siskind EJ; Smith DA; Smith PD; Spinelli P; Stappers BW; Suson DJ; Takahashi H; Tanaka T; Tauris TM; Thayer JB; Theureau G; Thompson DJ; Thorsett SE; Tibaldo L; Torres DF; Tosti G; Troja E; Vandenbroucke J; Van Etten A; Vasileiou V; Venter C; Vianello G; Vilchez N; Vitale V; Waite AP; Wang P; Wood KS; Yang Z; Ziegler M; Zimmer S

Science, Vol.334, No.6059, 1107-1110, 2011

DOI10.1126/science.1207141 Export Citation

Fermi Detection of a Luminous gamma-Ray Pulsar in a Globular Cluster

Freire PCC, Abdo AA, Ajello M, Allafort A, Ballet J, Barbiellini G, Bastieri D, Bechtol K, Bellazzini R, Blandford RD, Bloom ED, Bonamente E, Borgland AW, Brigida M, Bruel P, Buehler R, Buson S, Caliandro GA, Cameron RA, Camilo F, Caraveo PA, Cecchi C, Celik O, Charles E, Chekhtman A, Cheung CC, Chiang J, Ciprini S, Claus R, Cognard I, Cohen-Tanugi J, Cominsky LR, de Palma F, Dermer CD, Silva EDE, Dormody M, Drell PS, Dubois R, Dumora D, Espinoza CM, Favuzzi C, Fegan SJ, Ferrara EC, Focke WB, Fortin P, Fukazawa Y, Fusco P, Gargano F, Gasparrini D, Gehrels N, Germani S, Giglietto N, Giordano F, Giroletti M, Glanzman T, Godfrey G, Grenier IA, Grondin MH, Grove JE, Guillemot L, Guiriec S, Hadasch D, Harding AK, Johannesson G, Johnson AS, Johnson TJ, Johnston S, Katagiri H, Kataoka J, Keith M, Kerr M, Knodlseder J, Kramer M, Kuss M, Lande J, Latronico L, Lee SH, Lemoine-Goumard M, Longo F, Loparco F, Lovellette MN, Lubrano P, Lyne AG, Manchester RN, Marelli M, Mazziotta MN, McEnery JE, Michelson PF, Mizuno T, Moiseev AA, Monte C, Monzani ME, Morselli A, Moskalenko IV, Murgia S, Nakamori T, Nolan PL, Norris JP, Nuss E, Ohsugi T, Okumura A, Omodei N, Orlando E, Ozaki M, Paneque D, Parent D, Pesce-Rollins M, Pierbattista M, Piron F, Porter TA, Raino S, Ransom SM, Ray PS, Reimer A, Reimer O, Reposeur T, Ritz S, Romani RW, Roth M, Sadrozinski HFW, Parkinson PMS, Sgro C, Shannon R, Siskind EJ, Smith DA, Smith PD, Spinelli P, Stappers BW, Suson DJ, Takahashi H, Tanaka T, Tauris TM, Thayer JB, Theureau G, Thompson DJ, Thorsett SE, Tibaldo L, Torres DF, Tosti G, Troja E, Vandenbroucke J, Van Etten A, Vasileiou V, Venter C, Vianello G, Vilchez N, Vitale V, Waite AP, Wang P, Wood KS, Yang Z, Ziegler M, Zimmer S

We report on the Fermi Large Area Telescope's detection of gamma-ray (>100 mega-electron volts) pulsations from pulsar J1823-3021A in the globular cluster NGC 6624 with high significance (similar to 7 sigma). Its gamma-ray luminosity, L(gamma) = (8.4 +/- 1.6) x 10(34) ergs per second, is the highest observed for any millisecond pulsar (MSP) to date, and it accounts for most of the cluster emission. The nondetection of the cluster in the off-pulse phase implies that it contains <32 gamma-ray MSPs, not similar to 100 as previously estimated. The gamma-ray luminosity indicates that the unusually large rate of change of its period is caused by its intrinsic spin-down. This implies that J1823-3021A has the largest magnetic field and is the youngest MSP ever detected and that such anomalous objects might be forming at rates comparable to those of the more normal MSPs.