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S. Taziaux

Publications and source records attributed to S. Taziaux.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

EMU discovery of Thunder: a bow-shock PWN powered by PSR J1631-4722 escaping Nimbus SNR (G336.7+0.5)

We report the discovery of a bow-shock pulsar wind nebula (PWN), dubbed Thunder, powered by the radio pulsar PSR J1631-4722 and projected within the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G336.7+0.5 (Nimbus). The system was first identified in observations from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) survey and further characterised using MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey data together with follow-up observations at 5.5 and 9 GHz obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Assuming a distance of 7 kpc, the radio images resolve an elongated ~80 arcsec (2.7 pc) cometary nebula, indicative of a high velocity pulsar. An X-ray counterpart extending ~50 arcsec (1.7 pc) is detected in archival XMM-Newton data. The flat radio spectrum ($α$ = -0.27 $\pm$ 0.05) and hard X-ray photon index ($Γ$ = 1.6 $\pm$ 0.4) indicate synchrotron emission from relativistic particles injected in the pulsar wind. Polarisation analysis reveals a highly ordered magnetic field aligned with the nebular flow, with fractional polarisation reaching up to 30% in the tail. An equipartition estimate gives a PWN magnetic-field strength of Beq $\approx$ 54-140 $μ$G. Pulsar timing over a ~2.2 yr baseline reveals strong timing noise and a small spin glitch with amplitude $Δν/ν$ = 1.10$\times$10$^{-8}$. The SNR shows no clear diffuse X-ray counterpart. The morphology and multiwavelength properties of the Nimbus-Thunder system, along with evolutionary models, constrain the system's age to approximately 30-45 kyr, placing the remnant in the late Sedov phase, approaching the transition to the radiative stage.

astro-ph.HE

CHANG-ES XXXIX. Magnetic field structure in edge-on galaxies: Stacking Stokes parameters

Galactic magnetic fields regulate star formation and cosmic-ray (CR) transport, and understanding their three-dimensional structure, particularly in star-forming late-type galaxies, is key to constraining galactic CR transport. We explore the validity of stacking Stokes $Q$ and $U$ spectra, to infer about the intrinsic polarisation characteristics of star-forming galaxies. To prepare the stacking experiment, we align, scale, convolve, and reproject $C$-band (6 GHz) Stokes $Q$ and Stokes $U$ cubes of 27 star-forming late-type edge-on galaxies. On the stacked cubes, we perform RM-synthesis and discuss the derived polarised intensity (PI), polarisation angle ($χ_0$), and RM maps. Synthetic data tests demonstrate that stacking Stokes $Q$ and $U$ spectra is valid for tightly constrained underlying distributions of PI, $χ_0$, and RM. For underlying PI, $χ_0$, and RM distributions that represent star-forming galaxies, stacking introduces a systematic uncertainty of $δ_\mathrm{RM}^\mathrm{sys}=90 \mathrm{rad m^{-2}}$ and significantly underestimates the recovered PI. Stacking results reveal a clear X-shaped pattern in the polarisation plane, consistent with prior findings, detecting polarised emission up to 9 kpc above the galactic disc. We find stronger PI on the approaching side of galaxies. Furthermore, we find a decrease in PI in the galactic halo of $\sim 60$% near the galaxy's minor axis. A global RM pattern, as reported in a previous study, cannot be confirmed. Based on our analysis, we present stacking of Stokes $Q$ and Stokes $U$ cubes as an effective tool to recover faint polarised emission in the halo of nearby galaxies, if the underlying distributions of PI, $χ_0$, and RM are tightly constrained. Our findings motivate future studies using broader-band data to increase the resolution in Faraday depth.

astro-ph.GA

ASKAP EMU detection of an Odd Radio Circle (ORC) candidate: J094412-751016 (Anglerfish)

We report diffuse extended radio-continuum emission spatially coinciding with the IR source WISEA J094409.17-751012.8, and a semi-variable star, V687 Carinae. We use 944 MHz radio data from the large-scale Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) survey to analyse this diffuse emission (EMU J094412-751016), which we nickname "Anglerfish". We investigate if the spatially correlated infrared (IR) source, WISEA J094409.17-751012.8, is physically related to Anglerfish. The IR colours of WISEA J094409.17-751012.8 are indicative of an elliptical galaxy, raising the possibility that Anglerfish may belong to the newly-discovered class of extragalactic radio sources known as Odd Radio Circles (ORCs) with WISEA J094409.17-751012.8 as the host galaxy. We also investigate the possibility that Anglerfish is physically related to the star, V687 Carinae, and whether it may be a remnant from a previous epoch of stellar mass-loss. We determine that a physical association between the radio emission and the star is unlikely due to the emission's non-thermal nature and the star's weak stellar winds compared to the theoretical expansion velocity of the 'shell'. It is possible that Anglerfish may be a Galactic high-latitude supernova remnant (SNR); however, we find that the observed size and luminosity are not consistent with this scenario. We also investigate the ORC scenario, which we deem the most likely scenario based on the Anglerfish's observed properties such as size, brightness, lack of other frequency detections, and spectral index. We therefore propose Anglerfish as an ORC candidate, but note that additional radio and optical observations are vital to further constrain the properties and confirm this classification.

astro-ph.GA

A Collection of German Science Interests in the Next Generation Very Large Array

The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) is a planned radio interferometer providing unprecedented sensitivity at wavelengths between 21 cm and 3 mm. Its 263 antenna element array will be spatially distributed across North America to enable both superb low surface brightness recovery and sub-milliarcsecond angular resolution imaging. The project was developed by the international astronomy community under the lead of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and is anticipated to be built between 2027 and 2037. Two workshops have been held in 2022 and 2023 with the goal to discuss and consolidate the scientific interests in the ngVLA within the German astronomical community. This community paper constitutes a collection of 48 science ideas which the German community aims to pursue with the ngVLA in the 2030s. This is not a complete list and the ideas are not developed at the level of a "Science Book", such that the present document is mainly meant provide a basis for further discussion within the community. As such, additional contributions are welcome, and will be considered for inclusion in future revisions.

astro-ph.IM