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Published Online October 16, 2008
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1165572

Reports

Submitted on September 5, 2008
Accepted on October 8, 2008

The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope Discovers the Pulsar in the Young Galactic Supernova Remnant CTA 1

A. A. Abdo 1, M. Ackermann 2, W. B. Atwood 3, L. Baldini 4, J. Ballet 5, G. Barbiellini 6, M. G. Baring 7, D. Bastieri 8, B. M. Baughman 9, K. Bechtol 2, R. Bellazzini 4, B. Berenji 2, R. D. Blandford 2, E. D. Bloom 2, G. Bogaert 10, E. Bonamente 11, A. W. Borgland 2, J. Bregeon 4, A. Brez 4, M. Brigida 12, P. Bruel 10, T. H. Burnett 13, G. A. Caliandro 12, R. A. Cameron 2, P. A. Caraveo 14, P. Carlson 15, J. M. Casandjian 5, C. Cecchi 11, E. Charles 2, A. Chekhtman 16, C. C. Cheung 17, J. Chiang 2, S. Ciprini 11, R. Claus 2, J. Cohen-Tanugi 18, L. R. Cominsky 19, J. Conrad 20, S. Cutini 21, D. S. Davis 22, C. D. Dermer 23, A. de Angelis 24, F. de Palma 12, S. W. Digel 2, M. Dormody 3, E. do Couto e Silva 2, P. S. Drell 2, R. Dubois 2, D. Dumora 25, Y. Edmonds 2, C. Farnier 18, W. B. Focke 2, Y. Fukazawa 26, S. Funk 2, P. Fusco 12, F. Gargano 27, D. Gasparrini 21, N. Gehrels 28, S. Germani 11, B. Giebels 10, N. Giglietto 12, F. Giordano 12, T. Glanzman 2, G. Godfrey 2, I. A. Grenier 5, M.-H. Grondin 25, J. E. Grove 23, L. Guillemot 25, S. Guiriec 18, A. K. Harding 17, R. C. Hartman 17, E. Hays 17, R. E. Hughes 9, G. Jóhannesson 2, A. S. Johnson 2, R. P. Johnson 3, T. J. Johnson 28, W. N. Johnson 23, T. Kamae 2, Y. Kanai 29, G. Kanbach 30*, H. Katagiri 26, N. Kawai 31, M. Kerr 13, T. Kishishita 32, B. Kiziltan 33, J. Knödlseder 34, M. L. Kocian 2, N. Komin 35, F. Kuehn 9, M. Kuss 4, L. Latronico 4, M. Lemoine-Goumard 25, F. Longo 6, V. Lonjou 25, F. Loparco 12, B. Lott 25, M. N. Lovellette 23, P. Lubrano 11, M. Marelli 14, M. N. Mazziotta 27, J. E. McEnery 17, S. McGlynn 15, C. Meurer 36, P. F. Michelson 2, T. Mineo 37, W. Mitthumsiri 2, T. Mizuno 26, A. A. Moiseev 38, C. Monte 12, M. E. Monzani 2, A. Morselli 39, I. V. Moskalenko 2, S. Murgia 2, T. Nakamori 29, P. L. Nolan 2, E. Nuss 18, M. Ohno 32, T. Ohsugi 26, A. Okumura 40, N. Omodei 4, E. Orlando 30, J. F. Ormes 41, M. Ozaki 32, D. Paneque 2, J. H. Panetta 2, D. Parent 25, V. Pelassa 18, M. Pepe 11, M. Pesce-Rollins 4, G. Piano 39, L. Pieri 42, F. Piron 18, T. A. Porter 3, S. Rainò 12, R. Rando 8, P. S. Ray 23, M. Razzano 4, A. Reimer 2, O. Reimer 2, T. Reposeur 25, S. Ritz 28, L. S. Rochester 2, A. Y. Rodriguez 43, R. W. Romani 2, M. Roth 13, F. Ryde 15, H. F.-W. Sadrozinski 3, D. Sanchez 10, A. Sander 9, P. M. Saz Parkinson 3, T. L. Schalk 3, A. Sellerholm 36, C. Sgrò 4, E. J. Siskind 44, D. A. Smith 25, P. D. Smith 9, G. Spandre 4, P. Spinelli 12, J.-L. Starck 5, M. S. Strickman 23, D. J. Suson 45, H. Tajima 2, H. Takahashi 26, T. Takahashi 32, T. Tanaka 2, J. B. Thayer 2, J. G. Thayer 2, D. J. Thompson 17, S. E. Thorsett 3, L. Tibaldo 8, D. F. Torres 46, G. Tosti 11, A. Tramacere 47, T. L. Usher 2, A. Van Etten 2, N. Vilchez 34, V. Vitale 39, P. Wang 2, K. Watters 2, B. L. Winer 9, K. S. Wood 23*, H. Yasuda 26, T. Ylinen 48, M. Ziegler 3*

1 National Research Council Research Associate.; Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
2 W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
3 Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, Department of Physics and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
4 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa, Italy.
5 Laboratoire AIM, CEA-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, Service d'Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette, France.
6 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste, Italy.; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste, Italy.
7 Rice University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, MS-108, P. O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251, USA.
8 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, I-35131 Padova, Italy.; Dipartimento di Fisica "G. Galilei", Università di Padova, I-35131 Padova, Italy.
9 Department of Physics, Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
10 Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, École polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau, France.
11 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia, Italy.; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia, Italy.
12 Dipartimento di Fisica "M. Merlin" dell'Università e del Politecnico di Bari, I-70126 Bari, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
13 Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195–1560, USA.
14 INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, I-20133 Milano, Italy.
15 Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
16 George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.; Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
17 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
18 Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules, Université Montpellier 2, CNRS/IN2P3, Montpellier, France.
19 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 94928–3609, USA.
20 Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
21 ASI Science Data Center, I-00044 Frascati (Roma), Italy.
22 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.; Center for Space Sciences and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
23 Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
24 Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Udine and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, Gruppo Collegato di Udine, I-33100 Udine, Italy.
25 CNRS/IN2P3, Centre d'Études Nucléaires Bordeaux Gradignan, UMR 5797, Gradignan, 33175, France.; Université de Bordeaux, Centre d'Études Nucléaires Bordeaux Gradignan, UMR 5797, Gradignan, 33175, France.
26 Department of Physical Science and Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
27 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
28 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.; University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
29 Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan.
30 Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstraße, 85748 Garching, Germany.
31 Cosmic Radiation Laboratory, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.; Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan.
32 Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8510, Japan.
33 UCO/Lick Observatories, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
34 Centre d'Étude Spatiale des Rayonnements, CNRS/UPS, BP 44346, F-30128 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
35 Laboratoire AIM, CEA-CNRS-Université Paris Diderot, Service d'Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette, France.; Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules, Université Montpellier 2, CNRS/IN2P3, Montpellier, France.; Present address
36 Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
37 IASF Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy.
38 Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
39 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma "Tor Vergata" and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata", I-00133 Roma, Italy.
40 Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
41 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, USA.
42 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, I-35131 Padova, Italy.
43 Institut de Ciencies de l'Espai (IEEC-CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
44 NYCB Real-Time Computing Inc., 18 Meudon Drive, Lattingtown, NY 11560–1025, USA.
45 Department of Chemistry and Physics, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN 46323–2094, USA.
46 Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.; Institut de Ciencies de l'Espai (IEEC-CSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
47 Consorzio Interuniversitario per la Fisica Spaziale (CIFS), I-10133 Torino, Italy.; W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
48 School of Pure and Applied Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden.; Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
G. Kanbach , E-mail: gok{at}mpe.mpg.de
K. S. Wood , E-mail: gok{at}mpe.mpg.de
M. Ziegler , E-mail: gok{at}mpe.mpg.de

Energetic young pulsars and expanding blast waves (supernova remnants, SNRs) are the most visible remains after massive stars, ending their lives, explode in core-collapse supernovae. The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has unveiled a radio quiet pulsar located near the center of the compact synchrotron nebula inside the supernova remnant CTA 1. The pulsar, discovered through its gamma-ray pulsations, has a period of 316.86 ms, a period derivative of 3.614 x 10-13 s s-1. Its characteristic age of 104 years is comparable to that estimated for the SNR. It is conjectured that most unidentified Galactic gamma ray sources associated with star-forming regions and SNRs are such young pulsars.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Detection of 16 Gamma-Ray Pulsars Through Blind Frequency Searches Using the Fermi LAT.
A. A. Abdo, M. Ackermann, M. Ajello, B. Anderson, W. B. Atwood, M. Axelsson, L. Baldini, J. Ballet, G. Barbiellini, M. G. Baring, et al. (2009)
Science 325, 840-844
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