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Pulsar Wind Nebulae

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Handbook of Supernovae

Abstract

The extended nebulae formed as pulsar winds expand into their surroundings provide information about the composition of the winds, the injection history from the host pulsar, and the material into which the nebulae are expanding. Observations from across the electromagnetic spectrum provide constraints on the evolution of the nebulae, the density and composition of the surrounding ejecta, the geometry of the central engines, and the long-term fate of the energetic particles produced in these systems. Such observations reveal the presence of jets and wind termination shocks, time-varying compact emission structures, shocked supernova ejecta, and newly formed dust. Here I provide a broad overview of the structure of pulsar wind nebulae, with specific examples from observations extending from the radio band to very high-energy gamma rays that demonstrate our ability to constrain the history and ultimate fate of the energy released in the spin-down of young pulsars.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the many colleagues with whom he has collaborated on studies that have been briefly summarized in this Handbook contribution. Partial support for this effort was provided by NASA Contract NAS8-03060.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. High Energy Astrophysics, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Patrick Slane

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  1. Patrick Slane
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Correspondence to Patrick Slane .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University College London Observatory, University College London, London, United Kingdom

    Athem W. Alsabti

  2. Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Paul Murdin

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Slane, P. (2017). Pulsar Wind Nebulae. In: Alsabti, A., Murdin, P. (eds) Handbook of Supernovae. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21846-5_95

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