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Published Online July 2, 2009
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1176113

Reports

Submitted on May 11, 2009
Accepted on June 24, 2009

A Population of Gamma-Ray Millisecond Pulsars Seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

A. A. Abdo 1, M. Ackermann 2, M. Ajello 2, W. B. Atwood 3, M. Axelsson 4, L. Baldini 5, J. Ballet 6, G. Barbiellini 7, M. G. Baring 8, D. Bastieri 9, B. M. Baughman 10, K. Bechtol 2, R. Bellazzini 5, B. Berenji 2, G. F. Bignami 11, R. D. Blandford 2, E. D. Bloom 2, E. Bonamente 12, A. W. Borgland 2, J. Bregeon 5, A. Brez 5, M. Brigida 13, P. Bruel 14, T. H. Burnett 15, G. A. Caliandro 13, R. A. Cameron 2, F. Camilo 16, P. A. Caraveo 17, P. Carlson 18, J. M. Casandjian 6, C. Cecchi 12, Ö. Çelik 19, E. Charles 2, A. Chekhtman 20, C. C. Cheung 19, J. Chiang 2, S. Ciprini 12, R. Claus 2, I. Cognard 21, J. Cohen-Tanugi 22, L. R. Cominsky 23, J. Conrad 24, R. Corbet 25, S. Cutini 26, C. D. Dermer 1, G. Desvignes 21, A. de Angelis 27, A. de Luca 11, F. de Palma 13, S. W. Digel 2, M. Dormody 3, E. do Couto e Silva 2, P. S. Drell 2, R. Dubois 2, D. Dumora 28, Y. Edmonds 2, C. Farnier 22, C. Favuzzi 13, S. J. Fegan 14, W. B. Focke 2, M. Frailis 27, P. C. C. Freire 29, Y. Fukazawa 30, S. Funk 2, P. Fusco 13, F. Gargano 31, D. Gasparrini 26, N. Gehrels 32, S. Germani 12, B. Giebels 14, N. Giglietto 13, F. Giordano 13, T. Glanzman 2, G. Godfrey 2, I. A. Grenier 6, M. H. Grondin 28, J. E. Grove 1, L. Guillemot 28*, S. Guiriec 33, Y. Hanabata 30, A. K. Harding 19, M. Hayashida 2, E. Hays 19, G. Hobbs 34, R. E. Hughes 10, G. Jóhannesson 2, A. S. Johnson 2, R. P. Johnson 3, T. J. Johnson 32*, W. N. Johnson 1, S. Johnston 34, T. Kamae 2, H. Katagiri 30, J. Kataoka 35, N. Kawai 36, M. Kerr 15*, J. Knödlseder 37, M. L. Kocian 2, M. Kramer 38, M. Kuss 5, J. Lande 2, L. Latronico 5, M. Lemoine-Goumard 28, F. Longo 7, F. Loparco 13, B. Lott 28, M. N. Lovellette 1, P. Lubrano 12, G. M. Madejski 2, A. Makeev 20, R. N. Manchester 34, M. Marelli 17, M. N. Mazziotta 31, W. McConville 32, J. E. McEnery 19, M. A. McLaughlin 39, C. Meurer 40, P. F. Michelson 2, W. Mitthumsiri 2, T. Mizuno 30, A. A. Moiseev 41, C. Monte 13, M. E. Monzani 2, A. Morselli 42, I. V. Moskalenko 2, S. Murgia 2, P. L. Nolan 2, J. P. Norris 43, E. Nuss 22, T. Ohsugi 30, N. Omodei 5, E. Orlando 44, J. F. Ormes 43, D. Paneque 2, J. H. Panetta 2, D. Parent 28, V. Pelassa 22, M. Pepe 12, M. Pesce-Rollins 5, F. Piron 22, T. A. Porter 3, S. Rainò 13, R. Rando 9, S. M. Ransom 45, P. S. Ray 1, M. Razzano 5, N. Rea 46, A. Reimer 47, O. Reimer 47, T. Reposeur 28, S. Ritz 19, L. S. Rochester 2, A. Y. Rodriguez 48, R. W. Romani 2, M. Roth 15, F. Ryde 18, H. F.W. Sadrozinski 3, D. Sanchez 14, A. Sander 10, P. M. Saz Parkinson 3, J. D. Scargle 49, T. L. Schalk 3, C. Sgrò 5, E. J. Siskind 50, D. A. Smith 28*, P. D. Smith 10, G. Spandre 5, P. Spinelli 13, B. W. Stappers 38, J. L. Starck 6, E. Striani 51, M. S. Strickman 1, D. J. Suson 52, H. Tajima 2, H. Takahashi 30, T. Tanaka 2, J. B. Thayer 2, J. G. Thayer 2, G. Theureau 21, D. J. Thompson 19, S. E. Thorsett 3, L. Tibaldo 9, D. F. Torres 53, G. Tosti 12, A. Tramacere 54, Y. Uchiyama 2, T. L. Usher 2, A. Van Etten 2, V. Vasileiou 55, C. Venter 56, N. Vilchez 37, V. Vitale 51, A. P. Waite 2, E. Wallace 15, P. Wang 2, K. Watters 2, N. Webb 37, P. Weltevrede 34, B. L. Winer 10, K. S. Wood 1, T. Ylinen 57, M. Ziegler 3

1 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 SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 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, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
4 Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmo Particle Physics, AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
5 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, I56127 Pisa, Italy.
6 Laboratoire AIM, CEA/IRFU/CNRS/Université Paris Diderot, Service d’Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France.
7 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, I34127 Trieste, Italy.; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, I34127 Trieste, Italy.
8 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251, USA.
9 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, I35131 Padova, Italy.; Dipartimento di Fisica "G. Galilei," Università di Padova, I35131 Padova, Italy.
10 Department of Physics, Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
11 Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori (IUSS), I27100 Pavia, Italy.
12 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia, I06123 Perugia, Italy.; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, I06123 Perugia, Italy.
13 Dipartimento di Fisica "M. Merlin" dell’Università e del Politecnico di Bari, I70126 Bari, Italy.; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
14 Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet, École Polytechnique, CNRS/IN2P3, Palaiseau, France.
15 Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
16 Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
17 INAF Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, I20133 Milano, Italy.
18 Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmo Particle Physics, AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
19 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
20 Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.; George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
21 Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environnement, LPCE UMR 6115 CNRS, F45071 Orléans Cedex 02, and Station de Radioastronomie de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS/INSU, F18330 Nançay, France.
22 Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Astroparticules, Université Montpellier 2, CNRS/IN2P3, Montpellier, France.
23 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA.
24 Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmo Particle Physics, AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
25 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.; University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
26 Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) Science Data Center, I00044 Frascati (Roma), Italy.
27 Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Udine and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, Gruppo Collegato di Udine, I33100 Udine, Italy.
28 CNRS/IN2P3, Centre d’Études Nucléaires Bordeaux Gradignan, UMR 5797, 33175 Gradignan, France.; Université de Bordeaux, Centre d’Études Nucléaires Bordeaux Gradignan, UMR 5797, 33175 Gradignan, France.
29 Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, PR 00612, USA.
30 Department of Physical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi Hiroshima, Hiroshima 7398526, Japan.
31 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy.
32 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.; University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
33 University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA.
34 Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia.
35 Waseda University, 1104 Totsukamachi, Shinjukuku, Tokyo 1698050, Japan.
36 Cosmic Radiation Laboratory, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Wako, Saitama 3510198, Japan.; Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro City, Tokyo 1528551, Japan.
37 Centre d’Étude Spatiale des Rayonnements, CNRS/UPS, BP 44346, F30128 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
38 Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
39 Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
40 Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmo Particle Physics, AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
41 University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
42 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma "Tor Vergata," I00133 Roma, Italy.
43 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, USA.
44 Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, 85748 Garching, Germany.
45 National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), Charlottesville, VA 22903 USA.
46 Sterrenkundig Institut "Anton Pannekoek," 1098 SJ Amsterdam, Netherlands.; Institut de Ciencies de l’Espai (IEECCSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
47 W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.; Institut für Astro und Teilchenphysik, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, A6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
48 Institut de Ciencies de l’Espai (IEECCSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
49 Space Sciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
50 NYCB RealTime Computing Inc., Lattingtown, NY 11560, USA.
51 Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma "Tor Vergata," I00133 Roma, Italy.; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata," I00133 Roma, Italy.
52 Department of Chemistry and Physics, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN 46323, USA.
53 Institut de Ciencies de l’Espai (IEECCSIC), Campus UAB, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain.
54 W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.; Consorzio Interuniversitario per la Fisica Spaziale (CIFS), I10133 Torino, Italy.
55 University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.; Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
56 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.; Unit for Space Physics, NorthWest University, Potchefstroom Campus, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
57 Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmo Particle Physics, AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), AlbaNova, SE106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.; School of Pure and Applied Natural Sciences, University of Kalmar, SE391 82 Kalmar, Sweden.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
L. Guillemot , E-mail: guillemo{at}cenbg.in2p3.fr
T. J. Johnson , E-mail: tyrel.j.johnson{at}nasa.gov
M. Kerr , E-mail: kerrm{at}u.washington.edu
D. A. Smith , E-mail: smith{at}cenbg.in2p3.fr

Pulsars are born with subsecond spin periods and slow by electromagnetic braking for several tens of millions of years, when detectable radiation ceases. A second life can occur for neutron stars in binary systems. They can acquire mass and angular momentum from their companions, to be spun up to millisecond periods and begin radiating again. We searched Fermi Large Area Telescope data for pulsations from all known millisecond pulsars (MSPs) outside of globular clusters using rotation parameters from radio telescopes. Strong gamma-ray pulsations were detected for eight MSPs. The gamma-ray pulse profiles and spectral properties resemble those of young gamma-ray pulsars. The basic emission mechanism seems to be the same for MSPs and young pulsars, with the emission originating in regions far from the neutron star surface.


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